The Legacy's End
by Abby Squared
Summary: Nico di Angelo closed the Doors of Death three years ago, and he's still in Tartarus today, but he's with a mysterious girl named Lynn. Meanwhile, something is going on with the Seven. Who is trying to kill them, and how does this new prophecy fit in?
1. Chapter 1

**The Legacy's End**

**Chapter 1**

** PERCY**

He was falling, an endless plummet into nothingness, surrounded by darkness, and only one thing keeping him from blacking out.

Annabeth. Don't let go of Annabeth. He could feel her hand in his. Percy could feel her cold fingers slipping out of his grasp. He wanted to scream, but it came out a moan, the rushing air choking him. A part of his mind whispered that this was a dream; that he had to wake up. But he couldn't let go of Annabeth. He couldn't.

Her fingers slipped farther and farther out of his, until they were linked only by their index fingers. The pain was unbearable.

"Percy…I…can't…" Annabeth voice was muffled and full of pain. It was a stab in Percy's heart to hear. His one love, in pain, so close to being lost to him forever. Never again.

They were torn apart, and Percy tumbled through the air. His head smacked against stone. His vision went red, and then black.

** ANNABETH**

Annabeth sat on the edge of the bed. She twisted her wedding band. Across on the dresser was her engagement ring, which she never wore to bed in fear of losing the gorgeous diamond.

3:00 am. Percy had gone fallen sleep less than an hour ago. It would begin soon.

Three years ago, they fell into Tartarus. Annabeth blocked the images from her mind. If she let them overtake her for even a second, she would become a wreck. It was the last thing Percy needed, his wife to have a breakdown.

She continued to twist the silver band. When Annabeth had been sure she and Percy would both die in that pit, Percy had made a promise that saved both of their lives.

_"Annabeth, you will not give up on me. We will make it through. Together."_

_"Percy…I…can't…"_

_"You'll survive with me at your side, then I will marry you, and I will never leave your side again. I promise you."_

_She looked at him with wide eyes, and even in the darkness his green eyes shone. "What?"_

_"Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?"_

A smile tugged at Annabeth's mouth. Then it began.

A low moan escaped Percy's mouth as he twisted in the bed. Another nightmare, like he had had ever since they escaped Tartarus. She rubbed his back. What would be worse? Waking up her already sleep-deprived husband or let him endure another nightmare?

Sometimes it was about falling. Other times he dreamt of the horrors they faced at the bottom of the pit. Sometimes it was how Nico Di Angelo sacrificed himself to save the Seven, and how Percy tried to save him before the door shut.

She got up from the bed and walked out of the room. A voice in her head shouted, Coward! But Percy had to sleep, and she couldn't stand his moaning. She would wait until it got worse before she would wake him.

Almost as soon as she left, she could hear him gasping as though he couldn't breathe. _He must be dreaming about falling._

She dozed in the leather recliner about an hour until the screaming began. Any normal human would think that Percy was being tortured. But she was not a normal human. She was a demigod, and she knew Percy was just having a nightmare. But that didn't ease the pain of hearing him cry out in agony.

It wasn't until he screamed her name that she ran into the room, ignoring the limp she's had for three years, and flung herself on the bed. She shook his shoulders violently. His eyes snapped open, confused as they met hers. She ran her fingers through his jet-black hair, drenched with sweat. He pulled her close, squeezing her tightly and panting.

"Shh. It was just a dream. We're together."

Percy kissed her, then buried his head into her shoulder and sobbed.

**PIPER**

"Romans are such JERKS!"

Piper stormed down the path towards the strawberry fields, kicking at anything that came within reach of her feet.

"Why I ever decided to _date_ one, I have no idea!"

"Piper!"

A muscular young man with blonde and well-tanned skin ran to catch up with her.

"Let me explain…"

But Piper interrupted him, speaking through clenched teeth. "I don't want to speak to you right now, Jason!"

"But Pipes…"

"NO!" She yelled, turning on him. "Don't you ever call me that again, you good-for-nothing son of Jupiter! I never, _ever _want to see you again!"

As she spun on her heel and headed back down the path, her anger slowly turned into grief. How could Jason do this to her? She thought that he had loved her.

She sighed heavily as she sat down next to the lake. The tears started to inch down her cheeks, even though she had promised herself that she wouldn't cry if something like this happened. She had known for a little while now that her and Jason's relationship had been dwindling, but she hadn't thought that he would go this far! She had walked into Cabin 1, and seen her boyfriend kissing another girl. As she thought back on it, the tears started coming more freely. She pulled her legs up to her chest and sobbed. Ever since Jason had moved back to Camp Jupiter six months ago, she knew something had changed. He seemed more distant, and he never had time for her anymore. But he apparently had time for that daughter of Demeter that he'd been kissing.

Things hadn't really been going too well for Piper. She felt all alone. Leo was off taking summer classes in Santa Fe, Hazel and Frank were both at Camp Jupiter, and Annabeth and Percy were starting their new life together. And she was stuck here with nothing to do. She felt useless, bored, and depressed. She missed her best friend, but Annabeth was off with her new husband, probably having the time of her life. It would be lying to say that Piper wasn't jealous of her friend when she got married. Watching her float down the aisle in her beautiful dress, and seeing Percy look at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world, she couldn't help but want that for herself and Jason. Piper smiled grimly to herself. _I guess that'll never happen now, huh? _

As Piper sat thinking about these things, she stared into the water. Three Naiads were watching her with big pitying eyes. Suddenly, one of them gasped and pointed at her side, and tried to yell something under water, and the water nymphs disappeared into the depths. Piper was shaken out of her daze, and looked down at her legs. With shock she saw that her dagger, Katoptris, was glowing. But wait. It wasn't just glowing. It was on fire! She yelped, and pulled it out of its scabbard, and dropped it on the ground. As the flames died down, she peered into the blade. No! She had promised herself that she would never look into the dagger again, not after what had happened at the Doors of Death with Nico. She carefully picked up the dagger, which automatically burst into flames. She screamed, and dropped it again. If only Leo were here, and then he could help her with this! Katoptris had never acted up this way before. She didn't know what was going on.

The dagger was now back to normal, but Piper had a feeling that if she touched it; the whole thing would start over again! She was scared. There was no one she could confide in. All of her closest friends were gone. Sure, Chiron was here, but she couldn't really talk to him about this type of thing. Well, Rachel Dare, the Oracle, was here, so maybe she should go talk to her. She and Piper had never been best friends, but they got along pretty well. Piper decided to go talk to her, but more for the comfort of being with someone her own age than about the dagger. Katoptris did prove a problem, though. She couldn't just leave it lying around for anyone to find. The Hermes kids might try to steal it. But if she tried to move it, it would probably burst back into flames. She finally decided to just cover it up and let the Naiads watch it. After that was done, she turned from the lake towards Rachel's cave, and started walking.

As she was heading up the hill, she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey Piper! Wait up!"

Piper rolled her eyes, and kept walking. She was tired of getting tired of being followed around by her half-brother. If there was anybody at camp who was the ultimate model of what an Aphrodite child was, it was Louis Halvard.

The kid was tall. She said kid because there was no way he could be older than thirteen. He was as skinny as anything, and pale as a ghost. He was stuck up (average Aphrodite kid), and the only person he was more obsessed with than himself was Piper.

It was extremely annoying. Her half-brother comes to camp and finds out that his older sister was one of the Seven and had helped save the world, and suddenly he was following her around and constantly asking her questions. It was annoying and creepy. She couldn't help it, but every time she saw his combed brown hair and large beady eyes her mind shouted, _"Stalker! Stay away!" _

"What's up, Piper?"

She sighed. She knew what she had to do.

She turned to him, forcing tears back into her eyes.

"Louis, I just witnessed the man of my dreams, my boyfriend, making out with another girl. And then he made it seem like nothing, making it seem like he'd done it a million times, and…and…" she forced charmspeak into every word, emphasizing it with a pitiful sob. "And I hate having my siblings see me in such a mess, or anyone see me like this, so I really want to get away and be with Rachel Dare, since she is the only true friend I have here at Camp…and all my other friends are gone…and…and" She buried her face in her hands and sobbed some more for extra emphasis.

"Oh Piper!" Louis exclaimed, patting her shoulder. "I'm so sorry! Yes, of course you should go. I shouldn't have intruded! Just know that I'm always there for you. Whatever you need, anytime…"

"Oh thank you, Louis! I knew you'd understand!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and turned away quickly. She started towards the cave once more, adding a skip to her step, leaving Louis standing there, dumbfounded yet beaming.

Rachel met her at the cave entrance. She shook her head, red curls whipping her face.

"That. Was. Brilliant."

For the first time that day, Piper smiled.

"I know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**PERCY**

Percy couldn't stop thinking about Nico. He watched Annabeth limp to the bedroom. He listened to the steady beat of running water as she entered the shower. But Nico was on his mind.

He pictured the scene perfectly. He and Annabeth, leaning on each other to keep from collapsing. The others; Nico, Frank, Hazel, Piper and Jason, all standing there battle worn on the other side of the open doors. It was that moment Percy knew one of them had to do it.

_"Annabeth, I'm right behind you. Grab Frank's hand." _

_She obeyed. Percy would follow her, he had promised._

_But, who'd close the doors? Someone had to. Annabeth had to stay safe. Percy's first instinct, keep Annabeth safe._

_As she entered the safety of Piper and Hazel's arms Percy took a step back, firming his grasp on the large doors and pushing with all his might._

_"Percy, no!" Annabeth cried out. Piper and Hazel restrained her. The others stared at him with wide eyes._

_Nico grabbed Percy's shirt and yanked him towards the others. "You can't always be the hero, Percy!" Nico grasped the door and continued to close it. His dark eyes met with Percy's. The door shut, permanently. _

Percy rubbed his wet eyes, shaken from his flashback. His phone buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Percy? It's Jason."

"Hey, Lightning Man! What can I do for you today?"

"I'm having some major girl issues. I need some advice. You were the first person that came to mind."

"What's going on?" Percy asked.

There was a sigh on the other line. "I think Piper is going to break up with me. Well, actually I'm sure. She probably will never speak with me again"

"Several months ago you guys were totally in love with one another. What happened?"

"That's just it. We drifted apart for several months. Just recently I started working with this daughter of Demeter, Savannah Poole. She's sweet. Today, as we were in Zeus's cabin, she just kissed me. I didn't know what to do. I'm such an idiot, Percy. I kissed her back."

Percy whistled. "And, Piper found out?"

"No, she saw it. I didn't realize she was there. It was my first day back at camp, and my girlfriend see's me kissing another girl."

"Ouch. Then what happened?"

"She stormed away and wouldn't let me explain. I felt awful. The pain in her eyes, it just killed me. I don't know what to do."

"Jason, who do you picture the rest of your life with?"

"What'd you mean?"

"Who is it that you are going to love when she has white hair and wrinkles and is in a wheelchair? Who is going to love you when you are old and frail? Who do you want to spend the rest of your life with, who do you picture growing old with? Is it Piper? Savannah? Reyna?"

There was a pause. "Piper. It's always been Piper."

"Then explain it to Savannah. Be kind, women are sensitive. Then run to Piper. Be honest. Close the gap growing between you both. Don't lose her, or you'll live with that regret the rest of your life."

Silence. Then Jason said, "Thanks Percy. I'll do that."

"Don't let her go. Hang on to her with all you've got."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye." Percy hung up.

He slumped back in the leather recliner. Annabeth came out of the bathroom, hair still dripping. She walked over and sat on Percy's lap. He wrapped both arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Jason. He's having girl troubles."

"With Reyna and Piper?"

"Worse. Piper caught him kissing a daughter of Demeter."

"Ouch."

"That's what I said." Percy kissed her forehead. Her hair smelled like strawberry shampoo. "But after we talked, he sounded definite that it's Piper who he belongs with."

Annabeth touched her forehead to Percy's. "You should try to sleep a bit. You hardly had two hours last night."

Percy closed his eyes. "You're probably right, as usual."

Annabeth laid her head on his shoulder. She curled into a ball on his lap, arms wrapped around his middle as he cradled her. Her hair left a wet spot on his shirt.

He drifted into an uneasy, dreamless slumber.

**PIPER**

"So, what happened with Jason?"

Piper sat across from Rachel, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She sighed, and told Rachel everything. That's what Piper loved about Rachel, she was an amazing listener.

"Have you considered talking it out with Jason?"

Piper stared at the handmade mug. "I doubt I'll be able to talk to Jason for a while. I don't even want to look at him." An angry tear slid down her cheek. "Look at me. Piper McLean, a defeater of Gaea, now is blubbering over a boyfriend."

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, life is odd that way."

"And then, Katoptris was acting odd. It just sort of burst into flames." Piper continued with that story. Rachel was just as shocked by the tale as Piper.

They continued to make small talk, Piper absentmindedly braiding her hair. The hours drifted by.

"I think I'd better get going. Want to walk with me to the Dining Pavilion?"

"Yeah, sure." She stood, straightening her paint stained Camp shirt, pulling it down past the pockets of her blue jeans. Piper let her hair down, the dark tresses sweeping across her shoulders.

They exited the cave. Piper stopped.

"You okay?"

Piper listened. Something wasn't right. "Yeah, but something's off."

They both spun around as they heard hooves. Chiron sped toward them. "Piper! Rachel!"

Piper groaned when she saw who was behind him. She thought she had gotten away from Louis. Apparently not.

Chiron came to a stop. "Are you girls alright?"

"Yeah, why?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, you need to get Piper to the Jacksons' house. Now."

"What's going on?" Piper asked. "Are Percy and Annabeth okay?"

"For now. You've got to go now."

"Listen to him," Louis said. His eyes were bloodshot. Piper ignored him.

"What's going on? We're not leaving until we know."

"A camper was killed."

Both girls gasped. "How? When?"

"Just now. Piper, I'm sorry…"

Piper felt as the air had been knocked out of her lungs. "Who was it? Who was killed?"

Louis turned away. The pain in Chiron's eyes spoke a thousand words. Rachel gasped. Piper shook her head.

"No," she whispered.

She started running. She didn't stop. She sprinted past the Pavilion and towards the cabins. She heard sobbing and gasps. She saw fellow demigods gathered around Zeus's cabin.

_No. No. It can't be._

She dodged campers and navigated her way through the crowd. On the steps, she saw him.

"NO!"

A crumpled body, lying face down on the stairs. A dagger wound in the back. The body was lifeless, cold. His eyes were glassy, empty orbs.

She fell to the ground in front of him. She reached out to touch his hand, but pulled it back. She screamed a pitiful, sobbing wail.

"No! No, oh please, no!" She coughed as she wept. She couldn't breathe. Her vision went dark around the edges.

Arms wrapped around her. Rachel rocked Piper gently.

"Who did this?" Piper whispered.

Chiron stroked the top of her head. "A daughter of Demeter, Savannah Poole, was possessed by an Eidolon. She stabbed him when his back was turned. Hazel and Frank were also attacked by an Eidolon possessed person at the other camp. We have reason to believe whoever is in control of the Eidolons is targeting the Seven. You have to go to the Jacksons' house. They might be in danger, but the Eidolons could very well track them if we warn them by phone. Hazel, Frank, and Leo are already on their way. You have to go now. We need to evacuate camp."

"I can take Piper. She's in no way fit to drive or defend herself," Rachel said.

"I can go to," Louis added, "No one will be able to touch Piper while she is in my protection."

"Well then, go. And hurry, we could already be too late."

Piper stared at the body. Her teeth chattered. She didn't want to move, exhaustion and grief overtook her. She fell backwards, and an arm caught her, supporting her back. Another arm slid under her knees and lifted her off the ground. "I've got you," Louis whispered.

She saw Jason's lifeless face, her gaze locking with his glazed eyes. Her eyelids closed, tears still streaming.

**NICO**

Nico leaned back on a rock. It felt good to be off his feet for once. He would enjoy this comfort while he could. He no idea when they would have to run again. He'd been in Tartarus for three years, and he still could never tell when a monster could pop out of nowhere. He sighed. He missed being up in the sunlight. He'd been here for so long that he doubted he'd ever get out.

"I'd be dead if it weren't for Lynn," Nico whispered.

Lynn Stacey. She found Nico exhausted, dehydrated and starving after he had been in Tartarus for two months. She had everything; first aid, weaponry, nutrients. She descended into the pit like a dove and took Nico under her wing. He was unconscious for over a week and she kept him alive. She stayed with him ever since. Two companions braving the depths of Tartarus.

He looked up as Lynn walked into the rock crevice that was their hideout. Her dark brown hair bounced on her shoulders, her bright eyes sparkling.

She wasn't a demigod. She didn't have odd abilities or unique ancestry. She was just Lynn Stacey, clever and beautiful. Nico gasped nearly every time he saw her. She made his heart rate spike and his cheeks hot.

"Good morning, Nico," Lynn said. He smiled and stood up. His head started throbbing imediately. He winced as he rubbed the back of his head, and thought back to how he'd gotten the hidden scar there.

_Nearly eight months had passed since he had met Lynn. The first time Nico had been in Tartarus, he had been overwhelmed and nearly killed by the forces of Gaea. But Gaea was destroyed, the Seven had defeated her. Now there were monsters, crazed and murderous, lurking in shadows. _

_And there were no resources. There was no known way out that hadn't been permanently sealed. Nothing except for the strange girl, a girl who had all the survival essentials, summoned to Tartarus by a dream._

_Lynn and Nico had been running a long time that day. They had been attacked nearly four times, losing a great hideout. Two hydras had been chasing them for hours._

_"Nico, give me the sword! Let me take the swing at them!"_

_"Lynn, you cut one head off, and two more grow in its place!" Nico grabbed her hand, sprinting forward. He pushed her to the ground as acid spew from the creatures' mouths. They scrambled to their feet, and Nico scanned the area. His eyes fell upon a mound of stones creating a cliff._

_"I have an idea! Lynn, find a way to make those stones collapse. I'll distract the creatures and get them under the rocks as they fall. Even if it doesn't kill them, it will buy us some time."_

_"You'll be killed under those stones!"_

_"I'll be fine! Go!"_

_He watched as she scrambled up the rocks. He grabbed his sword, running towards the snarling hydras. "You want me? Come on, then!"_

_He ran beneath the rocks, waving his arms towards them. Each hydra had seven heads, each snapping and sneering at him. They came closer._

_"Lynn, now would be a really good time!" _

_There was a rumbling, and the mound shook. The rocks came tumbling down. Nico dodged, running as fast as he could to escape the avalanche. _

_Something heavy and sharp hit his head, and his body crumpled to the ground. Blood streamed down his neck as he lost consciousness._

_He woke up hours later, in a cavern. Lynn had been quick enough to pull him to safety before he had been buried alive. She stitched his wound. Once again she had saved his life._

He had been with Lynn Stacey for three years. Yet she was still a mystery.

But Nico didn't care who she was, or how she got here. He wouldn't change a hair on her head. He was in love with her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**ANNABETH**

Annabeth woke, head resting against Percy's chest, her hair leaving a wet spot. She got up gently, the steady breathing of her husband ensuring he was still asleep.

_Good,_ Annabeth thought. _He needs his sleep._

Pulling her hair into a loose bun, she sighed. She fingered the grocery list in her pocket, and she glanced to the slowly piling dishes in the sink.

_Look at me._ _Once a hero of Olympus, now a housewife needing to go grocery shopping_. She couldn't help smiling.

She heard a scream from outside. Percy bolted awake and jumped out of the chair.

"Annabeth?

"I'm fine. It came from outside."

Percy whipped around, grabbing a pen from the desk.

"Wrong pen!" Annabeth shouted.

Percy slammed the pen back down on the desk and grabbed a different one. He uncapped it, and it transformed into a beautiful blade. Riptide never ceased to mesmerize Annabeth.

Percy ran towards the door. Annabeth grabbed her own dagger and ran after him.

When she got to the front porch, she stopped in her tracks. There before her, on the street, were two thirteen-year-old girls, one a strawberry blonde, the other dirty blonde, being chased by two Gorgons. The monsters were running after them, batting their wings to try and catch the girls. The girls, in their turn, were throwing everything they could get their hands on at the Gorgons. A trashcan lid hit one of the monsters in the face, and sent her sprawling. As the Gorgon shakily stood, she glared at the girls.

"What was that for? I was just offering you some of Bargain Mart's finest samples! And what do you do? You whack me with a stupid trashcan lid! I'll show you!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Percy had told her about Stheno and Euryale, the two sisters of Medusa. Percy had fought them when he first went to Camp Jupiter, a little over three years ago. The one offering the samples had to be Stheno. But Annabeth didn't have much time to just stand and watch. Right then, one of the girls, the strawberry blonde, tripped and fell, screaming. The other Gorgon, Euryale, turned towards her, and charged. But suddenly, out of nowhere, another trashcan lid came flying towards Euryale. There was no time for her to react. It hit her right in the ribs, and threw her off her flight pattern, so that she crashed into a minivan.

"That'll teach you to mess with my sister, you overgrown fleabag!"

Annabeth looked in the direction that the trashcan lid had come from, and saw the other girl standing beside the lamppost she had been hiding behind. She made a Frisbee-throwing motion with her arm, and looked around, as if trying to sight her next target. Suddenly, she remembered her sister.

"Oh my gosh! Lizzie! Are you okay? Speak to me, sister!"

The dirty blonde hurried to her sister's side, and crouched down next to her. She checked her pulse, and her heartbeat.

"Hang in there, Lizzie! Don't die on me! I'm too young to be twinless! Oh," she perked up, drying her eyes. "If you do die, can I have all of your Josh Groban CDs? And your Taylor Swift T-shirt? Oh, and your…"

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lindsey, darling sister, but I am very much alive, and even if I was dead, I would never let you have my Keith Urban CDs, or my Taylor Swift T-shirt, or anything else that I own!"

Lizzie got up and brushed herself off, glaring at her sister. Her knee was bleeding pretty badly. When Annabeth moved towards her, she waved her off.

"It's just a scrape," she said.

"Well," said Percy. "We'll have to fix you up later. But right now, we have two Gorgons to kill."

With that, he charged towards Stheno, who was helping her sister peel herself off of the minivan.

Euryale saw him at the last second, but that gave the Gorgons just enough time to fly out of the way. Percy tried to check himself, but his momentum carried him forward, right into the minivan.

"Percy!" Annabeth ran to his side, but he waved her away.

"I'm fine," he said. "But there are about to be two Gorgons who aren't!"

Stheno and Euryale landed on the ground about ten yards away, making sure that they were far enough away to be out of Lindsey's throwing range.

"So, Perseus Jackson," hissed Euryale. "We meet again."

"Yeah," said Percy. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Euryale? As I recall, the first time we met was outside of Camp Jupiter, where I easily killed you again and again. It would have been a lot more convenient if you'd stayed dead for more than ten minutes. But now, your patron, Gaea, is defeated, and you can be killed again. I remember; I killed you on the Field Of Mars during the battle at Camp Jupiter. Hopefully, this time will be easier than the others."

Annabeth rolled her eyes again. Percy had started to monologue, again.

Percy started walking towards the Gorgons, and they backed away with every step he took.

"Um, Euryale, maybe we should leave now. I don't like the look of his sword." Stheno started to flap her wings nervously.

"Are you kidding me, sister? I would rather die at the hand of this son of the sea god than go back to you-know-who empty-handed."

"Who?" Stheno seemed at a loss.

"Yes, that's what I said. _You-know_-who."

"But I _don't_ know, sister! Who?"

"Argh!" She turned to the humans. "See what I have to put up with all day? She's unbearable!" She turned back to Stheno, and said "Mr. Pierce! That's who! Our _employer_!"

"Hold up!" Percy said. "You mean that you guys were _sent_ to kill us, by somebody _else_? I thought you guys were just in the neighborhood, and dropped by to get revenge. Well, this is something that…Annabeth, you definitely need to figure out! But who are you working for?"

This last comment referred back to the Gorgons.

"Oh," said Stheno, "That'd be Mr. Donovan Pierce. He says that he wants to kill…"

She was cut off by another trashcan lid, which hit her in the face.

Annabeth looked around.

"Lindsey?"

"It, it wasn't me, honest!"

"Sister, SHUT UP!"

They were all surprised to hear Euryale's harsh voice, directed towards her sister. She had grabbed a nearby trashcan lid and hurled it at Stheno. Annabeth, Percy and the twins turned and stared at her.

"You'll ruin everything, Stheno! Don't say another word, or I'll tear you to shreds! This job would be easier if I could do it by myself, anyway. I would have killed the half-bloods ages ago if it wasn't for you and your stupid Bargain Mart samples!"

Annabeth decided that this had gone far enough. She quietly snuck up behind Euryale, and with one quick thrust, put an end to both her annoying complaints, and her life. For a little while, at least.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I knew you wanted to do that yourself, but you weren't doing it quick enough for my liking. Now, you can have Stheno, if you want, though I doubt she'll be very much sport, for a great demigod like you."

Annabeth let the sarcasm drip off her words, making Percy wince.

"Well, my _darling _wife, I was just distracting her, so that you could get behind her. And I could easily have taken her on face to face, where you had to sneak up on her from the back."

"Oh, really Percy? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that it was you who ran into the minivan back there, trying, and failing, to get at Stheno. And she isn't even half as hard to kill as…"

"Uh, guys," Lizzie's voice interrupted them. "I'm sure you can argue later to your hearts' contents, but we have a very angry whatever-this-is about to come and try to avenge her sister."

"I'll get more trashcan lids!"

"Lindsey," said her twin in a doubtful tone. "I think we've all had enough of trashcan lids for now. Why don't you use this, uh, stick?"

"Nah, I like my Frisbees!"

Lizzie sighed, making Annabeth smile. She had never been very close with her stepbrothers, and she could see the special bond between the twins.

Suddenly, while Annabeth was lost in thought, a blood-curdling scream filled the air. Annabeth looked over towards where the sound had come from, and saw something that she was surprised to see: Percy standing over a pile of dust. She knew that she would probably get a verbal beating from her husband later. She sighed.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally killed himself a Gorgon."

Percy's smug smile made Annabeth feel like an idiot.

"What… what were they?"

Suddenly, Annabeth remembered that there were two thirteen-year-old girls with them who had no idea what had just happened. She turned around, and looked at them.

"Girls," she said, hesitating, "Why don't you come inside, and we'll explain everything."

She gently took the girls by the arm, and pulled them towards her and Percy's house.

About an hour and a half later, Lindsey, Lizzie, Annabeth and Percy were all sitting on the couch in the Jackson's living room. The twins were staring at their hosts.

"I wouldn't believe you, Annabeth," said Lizzie, "If it didn't all make so much sense. I mean, it fits in with everything that's been going on. All the weird stuff we've been seeing… So, you said that we can see through the Mist, right? And that means…what, exactly, for our future?"

"Well," Annabeth answered, "you can never tell. The three people other people that I know, who can see through the Mist, are Rachel Dare, who's our Oracle at Camp Half-Blood—"

"What's an oracle?" Asked Lindsey, who hadn't seemed the least bit frazzled by the news that the old Greek and Roman myths were true. Actually, she, unlike her sister, who was at her wit's end trying to understand it all, seemed very curious about everything, and had taken it all very well.

"Oh," said Percy off-handedly. "It's just a person with a spirit inside them that spews out green smoke and prophecies every once in a while. Nothing to write home about."

Lizzie shivered. "And you _know _this person? She, _it_, doesn't sound like someone I'd want to meet on the street."

"Oh, c'mon, sis! I think that this person sounds awesome! When do we get to meet her?"

Annabeth was getting a tad bit concerned about Lindsey's enthusiasm levels. What if the next time she saw a monster, she went up to it and said, "Hi. I'm a big fan of yours! Will you please sign this piece of paper before you kill me?"

"I don't know when you'll be able to meet Rachel, but I'll try to work something out…"

"Awesome! Annabeth, you're the best!"

"Well, anyway," Annabeth shook her head to clear her head. "As I was saying, Rachel became the Oracle because she could see through the Mist, and Percy's mom, Sally Jackson, attracted Poseidon, the god of the sea, because she could see through the Mist, and ended up having Percy with him."

"So, you're saying," said Lizzie, "that we're either going to become oracles, or have demigod kids with gods when we get older?"

"I'm not saying that at all." Annabeth said. "Those are only the what other people I know, who can see through the Mist, do now. I'm not saying that you have to do either of those things."

"You said that there were three people you knew who can see through the Mist, but you've only told us about two." Lindsey, as inquisitive as ever, was the one who said this.

Annabeth glanced over at Percy. He nodded.

"Well," she said, hesitating. "This might not give you a very encouraging impression, but okay. The third person I know who can see through the Mist is a woman named May Castellan. She's the mother of Luke Castellan, the guy who started the second Titan War. When Luke was little, she tried to become the Oracle, but she didn't know that Hades, the god of the Underworld, had cursed the current Oracle, the one she tried to replace. The curse was that the spirit of the Oracle had to remain in the same body, until the children of Hades, who were, back then, considered outcasts, were reconciled to their past dignity. Now, since May didn't know about the curse, she didn't know the danger in trying to take the spirit of the Oracle. When she tried to take in the spirit, she…she…" Annabeth stopped, and stared at her hands, which were clenched tightly in her lap. Percy put his hand on top of hers.

"Let's just say things didn't go so well for Mrs. Castellan. She kind of went crazy. Luke ended up leaving home because of it. He got angry with his dad for not being there for him, and so he—"

Someone knocked on the front door. Percy stopped and looked up. Annabeth got up, and opened the door.

"Rachel, Piper! What are you guys doing here? And who's your friend?"

Annabeth came back into the room, followed by Rachel and Piper, and a thirteen-year-old boy, who looked vaguely like the daughter of Aphrodite. Piper's eyes were visibly red from crying, and you could see that Rachel had shed tears as well, though she covered it up.

"Piper!" Annabeth cried. "What's wrong?"

The daughter of Aphrodite started sobbing, and fell into Annabeth's arms.

Rachel looked from Annabeth and Piper to Percy, and a sad look entered her already sad eyes.

"Percy, Annabeth…" She hesitated, and then, after taking a deep breath, continued.

"Jason's dead."

**PERCY**

Percy didn't even have time to react to this news before Piper collapsed. He rushed towards her as Annabeth staggered under her weight. The boy who had come in with Rachel and Piper surged towards them, eyes wide. Percy shot him a questioning glance.

"I'm Piper's half-brother, Louis," he said.

"Percy Jackson." Percy took Piper into his arms, cradling her. "Give her some air!" He took long strides towards the bedroom, and Annabeth ran to open the door. Silent tears trickled down her cheek.

Percy laid Piper on the large bed. She convulsed, moaning in the agony of a broken heart. Percy kissed her head, right above her ear.

"He chose you as his one and only love. I'm so sorry."

He lifted his head and left the room as the tears streamed down his face.

He locked eyes with Rachel.

"It was Savannah Poole, that, um…" She trailed off, her voice cracking. "She was possessed by an Eidolon. We would have called, but we think someone is after all seven of you and Chiron said to come straight here. Hazel and Frank were attacked earlier, but they're okay. They are on their way, and so is Leo."

It was a lot to take in. Breathing deeply, Percy said, "Yeah, earlier two Gorgons popped in for a visit. Apparently they were hired by a Donovan Pierce…"

His words were cut off by Rachel's sharp breath. Her eyes glazed over. Green fog seeped from her lips.

The Spirit of Delphi opened her mouth to speak.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**PIPER**

"Jason's dead."

Those words echoed through Piper's mind. They hurt like a thousand knives piercing her heart. They brought closure, closure to the life she dreamed of, but would never happen. A life with Jason Grace. And now Percy confirmed that Jason loved her, and she had spent the last moments with him spitting in his face and saying she hated him.

She listened to the low voices from the other room. She lifted her head when she heard a voice she didn't recognize. It sounded like Rachel, but had a raspier, ancient tone to it.

"Son of the Sky

Blood marks the beginning

An enemy triumphs

His strength ever growing

Back to the pit

A hero descends

Lost demigods to live

Legacy thus ends"

The voice stopped, and someone, Piper thought it was Percy, yelled, "Somebody catch her!"

Piper didn't understand what was going on. She was in a haze. She got up from the bed, and tried to go towards the door. She stumbled once, and fell. Someone in the other room heard her. The next thing she knew, Annabeth was helping her to her feet, and trying to lead her back to the bed.

"C'mon, Piper, why don't you just lie down for a little while? You've been through a lot to say the least."

Piper pushed her friend away.

"What's going on? Was that Rachel talking a minute ago? What was she saying? Something about the son of the sky? I…I don't know. My head hurts. Well, that's what I get from crying too much. I miss Jason. Annabeth, I want my boyfriend back!"

Piper started sobbing again. Annabeth pulled her close, and they just stayed that way for several long seconds.

"Pipes," Annabeth started, "I can't say that I know what you're going through right now. Yes, I've been through a lot, and there's always been the risk of losing Percy, but…I guess that what I'm trying to say is that I'll always be here for you, and so are Percy and Rachel. We care about you, and I know that Jason did too. He loved you, Piper. Think about it, he chose you over Reyna. And it wasn't because you charmspoke him into it. It was because he loved you, and wanted to spend his life with you. One thing I've learned from all the time I've spent with Percy is that guys do things that they don't mean to. They're not perfect. And another thing I learned is that you should always hear them out, even if you're madder than mad at them. Jason called Percy this morning, and told him what happened. He said that he didn't mean to kiss that Savannah girl, but he did, and it just so happened that you were right there to see it. He tried to explain, but you wouldn't let him. Now, I'm not saying that it's your fault. My guess is that Savannah planned the whole thing—kiss Jason with you watching, knowing that you wouldn't let him explain. Then she could kill him any time she wanted to, 'cause she knew you wouldn't be around to protect him."

Piper's sobs broke out again.

"Piper, Piper! Ugh! Why am I so bad at this type of thing? Listen to me! It was not your fault! Jason loved you! But he's gone, and there's nothing we can do about it. We have other things right now that are demanding our attention. We have to figure out what Rachel's new prophecy means, so you just have to toughen up, and deal with it

Piper shrank back at Annabeth's harsh words. But she straightened up, and tried to hold her chin up. A few reluctant tears continued to stream down her face, making Annabeth bury her face in her hands.

"I really am bad at this stuff. I'm sorry Piper! I love you, and I don't mean to sound harsh. You're one of my best friends, and I don't know what I'd do without you. How 'bout we go on out to the living room and talk to the others?"

Piper took Annabeth's outstretched hand and stood up. She started walking towards the door, tripped again, and almost fell. Annabeth caught her.

"Careful, Pipes."

They walked out into the living room.

Piper looked around. Rachel was lying on the couch, looking quite exhausted, and Percy sat next to her, fanning her face with a magazine. Louis glanced up as they walked in, and hurriedly stood and came over to help Piper to a seat.

Rachel sat up and pushed Percy away.

"Okay, Piper's probably wondering what's going on. Piper, so you know how I sometime spew green smoke and utter prophecies, and all that junk? Well, I, apparently, just did that. I'm kind of semi-conscious when it happens, so I don't remember any of it. Wow," she said thoughtfully to herself. "This is my one, two, three…fifth prophecy!"

"O…okay…" said Piper. "But what does the prophecy mean?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out." Percy said. "Normally, the Oracle's prophecies aren't the easiest to interpret. The first two lines, 'Son of the Sky, Blood marks the beginning' is probably about Jason's death."

Piper let out a little moan. Percy winced, but continued.

"We need some more info about this 'enemy'. If we can find that out—"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who on earth could that be? And why do people keep interrupting me when I'm talking?"

He got up to open the door, grumbling as he went.

"People are always barging in to our home. First it was Stheno and Euryale, then Piper, this Louis kid, and Rachel, now it's who-knows-who! I thought we picked this place to get away from it all!"

Piper, for the first time since she had seen her boyfriend's dead body, gave the hint of a smile. Percy got so annoyed over such little things sometimes!

In spite of his grumbling, Percy opened the door, and when he did, a smile as big as the sun spread on his face.

"Frank, Hazel, Leo! Hey guys! It's so good to see you again. Come in, come in."

Rachel got up and greeted the three other demigods.

"Are you guys okay? We heard from Chiron that an Eidolon possessed person attacked you guys? Nobody got seriously hurt?"

"Well," said Frank, looking over the group of people in the small living room. "One of our campers, a son of Apollo, was possessed, and he tried to shoot Hazel. But, um, Octavian got in the way, and the arrow hit him instead of Hazel. The arrow was poisoned, and he…he didn't last long."

"I know that none of us ever really liked Octavian very much," said Hazel. "But he saved my life. We gave him a proper burial before we left to come here."

"Wow," Percy said quietly.

"Yeah," agreed Leo. "That's what I said when they told me." He paused for a few seconds, then continued. "Chiron called us and told us about Jason." He went over and sat next to Piper. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Pipes," he whispered into her ear. "He was my best friend, too."

"But it…it was my fault—"

"Don't you say that, Piper McLean! If you'd been there, you would've been killed too. You know that Jason wouldn't have wanted that."

"But at least we would be together," Piper sobbed into his shoulder.

Frank looked around the room again.

"So, we're all here, but now what? I mean, what's our POA?"

Annabeth looked at him.

"'POA'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, sorry. Just something that people say at Camp J. It means 'Plan Of Action'"

"Oh, of course. Silly me." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Alright you two," said Hazel. "Oh, who are your friends?" she said, gesturing towards the twins and Louis.

"Those are Lindsey and Lizzie Milan," Annabeth answered. "And this is Louis, uh…"

"Halvard," Louis said for her. "I'm Piper's half-brother."

"Nice to meet you all."

She elbowed Frank in the ribs.

"Ouch! Oh, yeah. It's nice to…you already said that, Hazel, so why should I?"

"I just wanted you to be polite!"

"Man! You date a girl for a couple of years, and she thinks she controls you! I don't know why I even stay with you, Hazel."

"You know why you do, Frankie!" said Hazel, snuggling up to him. "Because you couldn't survive without me!" She kissed him on the cheek.

"Gross!" said Lindsey.

"Quiet, Sis! They're having '_a moment'_!"

"Oh, moment, shmoment! Mr. Percy, tell them about the prophecy!"

Leo looked up.

"Uh-oh. Has Rachel been spewing smoke again?"

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Leo." Rachel wasn't amused.

"Okay you guys," said Percy. "How about we all sit down? I'll go make some coffee, and then we can trade stories. Sound good?" Everyone nodded. Percy got up, and headed towards the kitchen.

A few hours later, all the coffee was gone from the Jackson's kitchen, and seven contented adults and three very hyper kids (the coffee had been espresso), were sitting in the living room.

"And then," exclaimed Lindsey, " the Gorgon Euryale charged Lizzie, so I just grabbed a trashcan lid, threw it like a Frisbee, and KABAM! It hit her right in the face, and I yelled, 'That'll teach you to mess with my sister, you overgrown fleabag!'"

Everyone laughed making Lindsey smile.

"And then, Mr. Percy here tried to charge them, and ended up running into a minivan instead!"

A little while after that, when they had finished swapping stories, Percy stood.

He looked around the room and said, "Well, it looks like we all have a lot to think about."

** PERCY**

His mind whirled. The prophecy; Hazel, Frank and Leo's sudden arrival; Jason's untimely death.

Percy touched Annabeth's shoulder. "I want to talk to you for a minute."

She nodded. She clutched his hand a bit too tightly and they started towards the kitchen. As soon as they had privacy, Annabeth launched herself into Percy's arms.

"Ow," Percy muttered. Annabeth pulled away, eyes wide. He winced, pulling up his sleeve. _How hard did I hit that minivan?_ The large, purplish bruise spoke for itself.

Annabeth bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut. One crystal-like tear splashed on the floor. Ignoring the pain in his arm he pulled her close, lifting her off the ground into his arms and kissing her. He into her beautiful gray eyes, pressing his forehead to hers and whispering, "We should go to the lake. We need time alone to grasp all that's happened.

She nodded. Percy set her down and hand in hand they walked back to the living room. Piper was curled up on the couch, and the boy Louis was sitting oddly close to her. Hazel and Frank sat on the loveseat, and Leo sat in the recliner. The twin girls, Lizzie and Lindsey, stood in the corner whispering with Rachel.

They just kept walking. No one paid them any attention until Percy grabbed the doorknob.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked.

"Outside. Fresh air. Spring water. Alone time with my wife before things get even worse."

"Percy, that's a bad idea," Rachel said.

"Well, that isn't going to stop us. We'll be back in a half hour, tops."

"I'm with Rachel on this," Frank interjected.

"I'm Percy Jackson, and this is Annabeth. We've fought in the Titan War. I've lost all my memories and woke up across the country, and I gained them all back because of Annabeth's name. We've survived a drop into an abyss, dragged each other through the depths of Tartarus, and survived. If you think we can't go outside the house, then try and stop us. But we're going."

No one said a word. Percy opened the door and they left.

The lake was beautiful, blue, and fairly clean. It being less than a five minute walk from the Jackson's house was the reason for their house choice.

They walked along the dock. They pulled off their shoes and socks and emptied their pockets.

"First things first." Percy reached towards the water. Closing his eyes and breathing heavily, he controlled the water, pulling the water towards his injured arm. The cool water enveloped his arm. The swelling stopped and the bruise disappeared.

"Percy, I…" Annabeth stopped, biting her lip. Percy swung her into his arms.

"Ready?" She nodded, and he jumped. Asking Poseidon for help, he focused his energy on creating an air socket for Annabeth's sake. A sphere expanded around them, creating a safe place to breathe. Annabeth breathed in. "Percy, I love you."

Her words were drenched in emotion. Percy wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed his lips to hers.

Fifteen minutes later they resurfaced, laughing in spite of their grief. Percy leaped onto the dock with ease. Annabeth grabbed his hand. He started to help her up, and she yanked him into the water. He emerged, laughing uncontrollably as he splashed her. She splashed him back and he jokingly sunk to the bottom, watching her feet kick above him.

_"Back to the pit_

_A hero descends"_

The thought hit him like a brick. The pit. Tartarus. Back to it, a hero descends. _A hero. _Who else could it refer to but...?

_No. It can't be. No!_

Back to the pit. One hero. One hero who has been in Tartarus before. Percy or Annabeth. That's what the prophecy meant.

_If Annabeth figures this out…_

He couldn't bear to think it. He couldn't lose her.

Images of Tartarus entered his mind. The monsters, the seemingly endless fall, the pain. The torture of being in a place where there is no sun.

_"Demigods to live"_

Nico. This could be Nico's way out of Tartarus. _If he's even still alive._

_I could be interpreting this all wrong. _But his conscience told him otherwise.

_Annabeth can't find out. _Percy was sure of this as he started swimming up. He couldn't hint that anything was wrong. If she found out, she would try to go in his place. He couldn't let that happen. He'd have to go as soon as the chance came.

"There you are. I was getting worried." Annabeth sat on the dock, her feet dangling. Percy faked a smile and climbed up next to her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Let's go." Annabeth nodded as they slipped on their shoes.

The ground shook, a loud explosion sounding in the distance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**NICO**

Nico woke with Lynn's head on his chest. He welcomed the warmth; it was unusually cold for Tartarus. In an underground abyss, they never knew what to expect.

She was so close to him, it made his heart pound. She was obviously doing this for survival purposes, but it was comforting as well as nerve racking. Feeling the rise and fall of her chest; hearing her slow breathing. It was a mix of emotions. There was a part of him that loved her as he loved Bianca, a love that made him feel like a five-year-old clinging to his sister during a thunder storm. And then, there was a part of him in love with her.

_Why is it all so confusing? You'd think being in Tartarus would help you escape girl troubles. _

Lynn was such a mystery. She was not a demigod. She had human parents, normal parents, even though they were horrid towards her. One day, she had a dream that she had to find the entrance to Tartarus to find someone, or something. She created a survival kit with everything imaginable. She had packed canned goods, dried meat, blankets, water and purifiers, first aid, and so much more. She was smart, resourceful, and beautiful. She deserved a better life than one in Tartarus with a boy she barely knows.

He heard a slight rumble from somewhere farther back in the cavern. Gently lifting Lynn off of him, he quietly got up.

Staying close to the cavern wall, he slid quietly, following the sound. He heard raspy voices.

"You fool!"

"Now, Euryale, let's not get too testy. That cursed son of Poseidon is a tricky one to kill."

_Son of Poseidon? Percy?_ Nico inched closer to the voices.

"Stheno, this was a chance of a lifetime! All we had to do was kill Percy and Annabeth! And we would be rewarded beyond anything! The Eidolons were able to murder the most powerful demigod, and we failed to even touch the Jacksons!"

Nico's heart skipped a beat. He had to know more. He peered over the cavern wall, seeing two repulsive creatures forming from the dust. Their heads and upper body had already reformed. Obviously it was recent that they were killed and sent to Tartarus. He recognized them as Gorgons. Sword extended, Nico sprinted into the open and pointed his blade at them.

"What do you know about Percy and Annabeth?" Nico shouted.

"Gah! Who are you?" Euryale shouted.

"Answer me! Who wants Percy and Annabeth dead? Which demigod was killed?"

"And why would we tell you?" asked Stheno.

"Because, if you don't, I will slice you into a thousand pieces, set fire to your remains, and scatter your ashes throughout all of Tartarus, insuring you will not rise again for thousands of years."

"Oh…ah, well…since you asked so nicely…um…" Stheno stuttered.

"Ah, yes, well…to answer you're first question, all we really know about the Jacksons are what our employer told us…them being part of the Seven, him wanting the Seven dead and all that jazz."

_The Jacksons. _It didn't surprise Nico much that Percy and Annabeth were married. "Who is your employer?" he insisted.

"Donovan Pierce," Euryale winced at the sight of his blade touching her throat.

"Which demigod is already dead?"

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

Nico stumbled back, the air knocked out of his lungs. Euryale grabbed his leg, pulling him to the ground, and snatched at his blade. With a quick swipe he sliced her hand, her entire upper arm turning to dust. She screamed in agony.

He regained composure over his emotions. "Try that again, and you'll regret it a thousand years. Now, answer me. Why does this Donovan Pierce want the Seven dead?" _The six dead. _The mental note hurt like a knife in the heart.

"We were just doing our jobs!" Stheno shouted. "We don't know things like that!"

"In that case, you are no longer of use to me." He slashed his sword, both Gorgons turning to dust.

He turned back, this new information whirling in his mind. Lynn would be up by now, and he didn't want her to worry. The thought of her was soothing.

There was a rumble, and Nico stopped in his tracks. Something did _not _sound right. "Lynn?" he called.

"Nico! Look out!" He saw Lynn, merely fifty meters ahead of him. He looked up as several large boulders started to tumble from the cliffs above. He stumbled back, the ground shaking as the cavern filled with rocks and dust. He coughed and struggled to his feet. His eyes widened. His path to Lynn was blocked. He sprinted towards the boulders, searching desperately for an opening. None were visible.

"Lynn! LYNN!"

**ANNABETH**

They sprinted towards the house. Plumes of flames burst from the windows, smoke billowing from the Jacksons' home.

A strangled gasp caught in Annabeth's throat. Her house! They had only lived there for a little over two years. It was, _it had been_, she corrected herself, everything she had wanted in a home with Percy.

Percy ran inside, and tried to put out the flames with his water powers, yet nothing changed.

"It's not working, Annabeth! My powers, they're useless. I…I don't know what's wrong!"

Annabeth grabbed her cell phone from her pocket, and started to dial 911, but stopped when she a heard scream. She looked up.

"Oh gosh, Percy. Everyone's still in there! We have to get them out!"

Without hesitation he drew Riptide and bolted inside. Annabeth followed. The soot burned her eyes. She squinted to see through the smoke, and could vaguely make out the chaos going on. Leo had Lindsey; at least, Annabeth thought it was Lindsey, slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and was dragging Lizzie along behind him. Leo had it easy, Annabeth thought. He was the only one here who was fireproof.

Leo made eye contact with Percy. "Go help Piper and Rachel!"

Percy ran over to the kitchen.

"Piper, Rachel; are you guys in here?"

Louis' voice called out. "Help me! I am hurt; I am very, very hurt!"

Annabeth came up to the kitchen, and pushed Percy through the door. She sprinted over to Louis, who was trapped under the upturned kitchen table.

"Ahhhhh! Get this thing off me! I can't breathe, I'm…I'm losing it, I can't take any more, I—"

"Oh, suck it up, Louis!" Annabeth snapped as she grabbed the table and deftly flipped it off his leg. "Drama queen," she muttered.

Percy hoisted Rachel and Piper to their feet, making sure they were both okay.

"We have to get out of here, guys," Percy said. "Has anyone called the fire department? We need to…" He trailed off. When he spoke again, his voice had an edge of urgency. "Guys, don't panic, but, uh, once the fire reaches the stove, this whole place is gonna blow. We might wanna get out."

"Seaweed Brain! Duh!" Annabeth grabbed Louis by the collar and dragged him to his feet. "Go!"

Percy supported both girls and sprinted outside. "Hazel! Frank!" Annabeth screamed, "Where are you?"

"Over here!" Frank's voice came through the smoke.

Frank's large bulk came into the view, one arm protectively over Hazel. She was doubled over, a bundle of blankets in her arms. "Is she alright?" asked Annabeth.

"I'm fine," Hazel muttered, "It's Frank I'm worried about."

"Okay, now get out of here!"

They ran outside, where Percy and the rest were waiting for them. Percy ran up to Annabeth and hugged her. She started to pull away, but he held her awkwardly tilting his head to one side.

"Are you, uh, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Seemingly shaken out of his daze, he grabbed her hand. "Get in the car! We've got to go to Camp!"

Rachel was already unlocking the door of her car and jamming the key in the ignition. "Get in! I can take four!"

Piper, Hazel and Frank piled into the blue Honda Civic. Percy slid in, still holding Annabeth's hand. "We're full," Rachel said apologetically.

"It's fine," Annabeth said.

"Everyone else, the party's in my van!" The mischievous smile on Leo's face was disconcerting, but Annabeth let go of Percy's grasp and followed, dragging Louis along. The twins, Lizzie helping her now conscious sister, climbed in the back of the beaten up, Celestial Bronze work van.

Annabeth shoved Louis in, and hopped in the shotgun seat. She watched the others pull out and speed away. Leo, a ridiculous grin on his face, did a sharp U-turn in the street, and followed Rachel's little car. They passed them once they reached a two lane road, the twins waving wildly at Hazel and Frank in the back.

Suddenly, somewhere in the car, a phone rang. Leo looked around, reached back from the driver's seat, and grabbed his custom cell phone, a device that was probably, no, undoubtedly, ten times better than the latest smart phone.

"Ohlo! This is the magnificent Lord Leo, at your service. Oh…it's _you. _I mean_…_hi Reyna. Yes, yes, I'll get you that order of Imperial Gold ninja throwing star thingies as soon as possible."

He looked over at Annabeth, rolled his eyes and silently emphasized her jabbering with his hand motions. The only problem was that now neither of his hands was on the steering wheel, nor his eyes on the road.

"I actually have a model of one right here," he said, reaching back into the row behind him. The car jerked to one side, and Annabeth screamed.

"Leo, get your hands on the wheel before you kill us all!"

Leo said into the phone, "Well, little Miss Pushy here is telling me to actually pay attention while I'm driving, so I have to go, Reyna. Leo out!" He tossed the phone over his shoulder, smacking Louis in the face.

"Hey! Are you trying to kill me? I already have a possible broken leg!"

Lizzie kicked him in the shin. "Can you feel that?"

"Yeah, ow!"

"Not broken."

"Okay, you two." Annabeth kept her eyes peeled to the road, ready to grab the wheel if she had to.

Camp Half-Blood came into view in half the time it normally would have, if they'd been following the speed limit.

They piled out of the van. Two minutes later Rachel's car pulled up. "Finally!" Leo exclaimed. "We've been waiting an eternity for you slowpokes!"

Frank fell to the ground, stroking it joyfully. "Of all the things I have ever faced in this lifetime that was the most horrible, terrifying thing that has happened."

"Wasn't it _awesome_?" Leo beamed.

Annabeth blocked their conversation out of her brain. _One…two…three…four…where is he?_ She looked around frantically, mouth agape, unable to speak. _No. He's here somewhere._

"Hey, Annabeth," Hazel said, "Where's Percy?"


	6. Chapter 6

**PIPER**

The haze had cleared. For the last twenty hours since she had seen Jason's corpse, she couldn't think straight. Life didn't make sense. But now, she could think. She was back. She sat on the hood of Rachel's car while Louis sat uncomfortably close.

"Guys," she interjected. Everyone had broken into argument after noticing Percy's disappearance. "Isn't it obvious? There was nothing stopping Percy from getting to Leo's van. No debris or anything. So, he probably purposely wanted to get away."

They stared at her, flabbergasted. Piper hadn't spoken in hours. And now her words held more weight than anything said in the last ten minutes.

"But why?" Hazel asked.

The question hung in the air.

"We need to tell Chiron," said Annabeth finally. "I'll try calling him again, but now we have to go."

Ever since arriving they had been searching for Percy and hadn't _actually_ gone into camp yet. Everyone was on edge as they navigated through the forest and made their way to the camp entrance.

"Annabeth!" Grover shouted, running to greet her. Her face brightened as the satyr scooped her into his arms and spun around. He set her down, sniffing once. His gaze fell on the twins.

"Lizzie and Lindsey," Frank explained. "They can see through the midst."

"Ah, I see," Grover replied. He looked around. "Where's Percy?"

"We don't know. It's a long story. We'll explain when we see Chiron."

Piper was sick and tired of recaps. She sat outside on the porch of the Big House while they conversed with Chiron, charmspeaking Louis not to follow.

Everything was so complicated! She wanted to scream. She wanted a shoulder to cry on. She wanted _Jason's _shoulder to cry on.

_Oh my gosh. _Her eyes fell upon a person in the distance. _I'm so selfish, how could I have forgotten? _

Thalia Grace stood on the outskirts of the volleyball courts, kicking up a cloud of dust with her toe. Piper stood and sprinted towards her. "Thalia!"

Thalia turned, eyes red, and offered a slight smile. The two embraced. For a long time, Piper had expected Thalia to become her sister-in-law. She would be her bridesmaid, smiling as she watched her brother repeat his vows. But now…

Piper wanted to sob. But she couldn't. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to lose herself in grief again.

"The…uh, memorial service is scheduled for tonight," Thalia choked out.

"Memorial service?"

"Chiron talked with Camp Jupiter, and they're going to have a proper funeral there, burying the body," she said the last word as a sort of sob. "But Chiron requested there be a memorial service here, for those who can't go to the other camp. So, it's this afternoon."

"Oh," Piper wiped a tear away. No, she would not lose herself.

"Yeah," Thalia stood awkwardly, obviously struggling to retain her composure as much as Piper was. "Even though…Jason's…um, what I'm trying to say is that…I've considered you a part of the family for a while, and that hasn't changed. You're still like a sister to me."

Piper nodded. One word and she would lose control.

Thalia seemed to understand. "Well, I've gotta…go get ready, for the…you know. Memorial service."

Piper nodded again and she turned towards the cabins. She had to get ready as well. As she started walking, the unwanted tears fell.

_"Pipes, I really like this one," Jason said._

_Piper stared at her reflection critically. She was wearing a strapless, knee length black dress. It came with a long sleeve lace black sweater and a silver belt. _

_"I don't know, it's a lot of black. When would I wear it?" _

_"Special occasions, holidays! You should keep it! It's on clearance! I'll buy it!"_

_"Because it's on clearance you'll buy it," Piper laughed._

_"Well, that's only one of the benefits," Jason countered. _

_"Remind me never to take you shopping with me."_

_"At least I have great taste," he said, leaning in to kiss her._

The flashback made her smile, and yet it caused so much pain. She stared at the dress she had bought all those months ago and had hardly worn. It still had its tags on it as she pulled it over her head.

"Piper, you ready?" Louis' voice called from outside the bathroom door.

"Yes." She opened the door, ignoring Louis gaping at her as she stood tall and walked out of the Aphrodite cabin.

The funeral was at Half-Blood Hill. Piper found a seat near the middle of the set up aisle. Leo joined her. Annabeth sat closer to the front with Thalia and Grover. Rachel sat with the twins. Louis sat a few rows up with one arm around a cute brunette girl that Piper didn't recognize. But she didn't have time to ponder this before Chiron spoke.

"We all knew Jason. To some he was a hero, a role model. To others he was a dear friend. Yesterday's tragedy struck hard. We all are in shock and are grieving."

He went on, asking various campers to come and share testimonies of Jason. Piper was asked last. She tried to portray confidence as she walked up to the front.

"I had a boyfriend. He was normal, wonderful, and the love of my life. And then, one day he acted different. He didn't know me. He was confused. And I was terrified that I had lost my boyfriend forever.

"I was mistaken. All my first memories of him were tricks of Hera, and though I was a stranger to him, it gave me the chance to know him for real. We fell in love, no tricks, and no conditions. Our choice, our decision, our love. And I'll love him forever, from now and for every second of the rest of my life, a love that will never end. I—" She couldn't conclude, she couldn't hold back the sobs as she walked back to her seat.

An hour later, Piper sat on her bed, absentmindedly smoothing her blankets and sipping water. Louis strutted into the cabin, beaming. She thought back to the girl his arm had been around. _Maybe he's finally over his childish crush on me _she hoped.

Her half sister, Kristen Sanders, stared at him quizzically. "You sure have a weird post-funeral expression. I was expecting more of a frown, or tears, or a grimace. Not a ridiculous, happy-go-lucky grin."

"Shut up, _sister._" Louis waved her off snootily, chin in the air. "Nobody cares what you think."

"Oh, so it must have to do with Miss Aimee Tyler."

Wide eyed, he snapped, "Shut _up_!" His face turned scarlet.

A childish instinct kicked in, and Piper interjected, "Who is this Aimee Tyler?"

Kristen smiled, "The girl he drools—" She was interrupted as Louis slapped his hand over her mouth.

"My girlfriend," he corrected. Piper choked. Kristen swat his hand away and burst into laughter.

"Go ahead and laugh all you want. She adores me, and I her. Think what you'd like, jerk." Louis turned on his heal and headed outside, then spun around. "Not you, Piper! You're amazing!"

"Double jerk!" Kristen called. Louis grumbled, slamming the door. Kristen smiled triumphantly.

**PERCY**

The entire maneuver had been quite brilliant in Percy's opinion. Thinking back on his escape made him feel guilty, but also made him feel extremely clever.

Annabeth had let go of his hand, and he watched as she and the others rushed to Leo's "Party Van."

_"Rachel, I'm not sure I want to be separated from Annabeth after everything that's happened. I'm going to go with Leo." _

_"Go quickly, Percy," Rachel said with a nod._

_Percy got out and Rachel sped away. He took a fleeting glance at the van then doubled back towards the burning house. He ran behind it. Seeing his home turn to ashes hurt, but now was not the time for sentimentality. _

He couldn't help smiling at the thought of them getting out of the cars. The _"I thought you had him; no I thought he was with you!"_ argument to come would be priceless.

Another thing nagged at his mind. What he had seen when he hugged Annabeth, or what he _thought _he'd seen. A young woman, with a flowing crimson cloak and piercing violet eyes. She stood behind the house, a torch in hand. He had blinked, and she was gone. Who was she? Some kind of vision? Had she really been there at all?

He pulled out his cell phone, dialing quickly. The other line rang twice before a familiar woman's voice responded.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom, I need to talk to you in person. Now."

"Percy, what's wrong?" Sally Jackson's voice was calm.

"Can you meet me in ten minutes?" Percy pleaded.

"Of course, I'm on my way."

"Oh, and I have a few things I'd like you to bring."

Ten minutes later Percy sat on a bench in the middle of the city. A couples' initials were carved into it, and a broad tree canopied over it.

He saw Sally Jackson, or Blofis as her married name was, across the busy street. They locked eyes, and she smiled. Her silver-streaked hair framed her still-beautiful face. Even when aging she was gorgeous. Percy stood, embracing her as she reached him.

"I brought everything you asked," she said, handing him a sturdy hiking backpack. He unzipped it. Inside were bottles of water, cans of beans and vegetables, some of her husband's, Paul Blofis', old clothes and an envelope. Sally pulled out the envelope, opening it. It contained pictures, pictures of him and Grover in seventh grade, pictures of him and Annabeth growing up. Pictures of friends and family, pictures of the sky, pictures from his wedding.

"Now, can you please tell me what's going on?"

Everything spilled from Percy's mouth. Jason's death, the prophecy, his interpretation and what he thought—what he knew he had to do. By the end, tears threatened to form. He took a shaky breath, his eyes pleading for her to understand. "I love you," he whispered, slipping a note into her hand. He looked into her eyes. "Give this to Annabeth. Help her understand."

"Percy, you've done so much. You've suffered more than anyone you're age deserved." Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I-I…" Percy was at a loss for words. "I can't let Annabeth go. I can't lose her. Never again."

"I know, sweetheart. I know." She held him close.

_I don't want to go back. I want to live a normal, happy life with Annabeth. _"I have to…I have to go back to Tartarus."

"I know," she whispered. They held each other, sobbing. He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to retain every detail of this moment in his memory. He wished it could last forever.

"I'm never going to see you again," Percy sobbed.

They sat there, on the bench under the tree, for a half hour, crying and hugging until no more tears remained. His mom kissed the top of his head, and stood up. "Do what you think is right, and know that I'll always love you."

_I love you too, mom. I always will, I always have. _He couldn't speak. It hurt too much.

She smiled slightly, holding his gaze for a long moment. And then she turned and walked away.

He sat there, motionless, until finally he stood and started zipping the pack. Something at the bottom caught his eye. He reached in, pulling out a brown paper lunch back. He peeked inside. It was filled with blue cookies.

Percy wept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **

**We (I hope by now that by our pen name and differentiating writing styles you've figured that we are a dynamic duo, co-writers in crime, blah-blah-blah) do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus. All settings and characters from those fantastical series belong to Rick Riordan (who is amazing.)**

**But, all new characters were created by us; many with extreme likeness to real life friends (love you guys! Not you, Louis. Just kidding. Not really, though.) Oh and if you never made the connection, the amazingly amazing Lizzie and Lindsey are based off of yours truly.**

**This chapter took forever to publish, and we're both so sorry! Things like school and our editor (known in the fic as Lynn Stacey) taking forever got in the way, and although I, Lizzie, wanted it to be finished three weeks ago…sadly didn't work out that way.**

**Sorry this is long and boring. Thanks for reading! Thanks for commenting (comment more, please!) Now whatcha waiting for? Chapter 7 awaits! (No, this is not the last chapter. We've got twists and cliffhangers awaiting you…)**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**NICO**

Nico was desperate. He'd been searching for hours, and he still hadn't found Lynn. His powers that he normally had, the consequence of being a son of Hades, were useless in Tartarus. And Lynn had all their food and other provisions. As far as he knew, the only way to get back to her was through the huge pile of rock and debris that had fallen and cut them off from each other in the first place.

And then there were the monsters to think about. Sure, Nico had his sword, but the last time he'd been on his own facing monsters down here he'd almost been killed, and would've died if Lynn hadn't found him. How would he survive without her?

Nico stopped in his tracks. How would, how _could_, he survive without her? It was the first time that the thought had crossed his mind. He thought back to the past two and a half years he'd been with her. Everything that they'd been through together. She'd kept him alive, in both body and spirit. And now, here he was, in the depths of Tartarus, without her. He suddenly realized that he never wanted to be without her again. When, and if, he found her, he would never let her go. He shuddered as the horrible thought crossed his mind. And even he was in the depths of Tartarus forever, as long as he had Lynn, everything would be all right.

After a few very long hours, Nico realized that he'd just been going in circles. He'd searched for a way to Lynn for what had seemed like forever and hadn't gotten anywhere. He could barely see, and in the past half hour it had gotten even darker, if that was possible. He decided that he should probably find a safe place, as if there were any safe places in the depths of Tartarus, to sleep for the night. At least, it was as close to night as he could tell; ever since he'd entered Tartarus, his body clock had been way off.

He poked around for a while and finally found a little cleft over a rock overhang that would serve as a sufficient place to sleep for a while. He took off his jacket, folded it up to use as a pillow, and leaned back for some long-awaited sleep.

It took him awhile to fall asleep. He just couldn't get comfortable. No matter which way he turned, there was always a rock sticking into his back. When he finally drifted off into a restless sleep, things just got worse.

_The dream started off with Lynn. Nico could see her desperately trying to get through the wall of solid rock that had blocked them from each other. He wondered why she was in such a hurry to get out. She had all the provisions, and if she was trying to get to him, then she would have been smart enough to know by now that there was no way through that wall. As he wondered all this, something behind her caught his eye. Now he knew why Lynn was trying to get out of the cavern: there was a huge monster behind her! Nico wanted to cry out, to try and save her, but he was helpless; there was nothing he could do. _

_Much to Nico's despair the dream suddenly switched to what looked like the edge of a huge hole. All at once, he realized where this was. It was in the Underworld, at the entrance to Tartarus. He sighed. Even if the Underworld was damp, dark, and a little creepy with all the dead spirits gliding around, it was kind of like home to Nico. After all, his dad was there, and it was a lot better than the depths of Tartarus. _

_Nico wondered why his dream had brought him here, of all places. He would much rather have seen one of the Demigod camps, or some old friends. But the entrance to Tartarus? Really? He'd been stuck in here for so long, it made him sick just to look at it. It might be better to just wake up. But he shivered in his sleep as the thought crossed his mind. Then he'd really be in Tartarus. At least in his dreams he could get out of here. _

_Something moved in the corner of his vision. He tried to look closer. It was a young man; tall, with black hair, and a bronze sword in his hand. He threw a rope into the pit, and started to descend. As his face turned towards Nico, the son of Hades suddenly knew who it was. It was Percy Jackson._

Nico woke up sweating. What did his dream mean? Percy was coming to Tartarus? Why? And, oh gosh! Lynn was in trouble! He had to find her. He got up, pulled on his jacket, and started off into the darkness.

**PIPER**

"Leo!" Piper called, trotting down towards the armory. The calm spring air was refreshing. She tried in vain to forget everything that had happened in the last two days, wanting to have a fresh, less emotional start.

"Hola, Piper!" he said, an impish grin on his face. "What can I do for you on this lovely morning?"

"I had some, ah, issues with Katoptris a couple days ago, and I'd like you to take a look."

"What, has it gotten dull? I'm sure you don't need someone as skilled as me for that."

She laughed. "That's...not quite the trouble I've been having."

He raised an eyebrow, then followed her towards the lake.

"Over here," she said.

"Shoo, you stupid naiads!" Leo snapped.

"Thank you," Piper called as they swam away. She lifted her now-dirty sweatshirt off the ground that had been covering Katoptris.

"Pick it up," she told Leo.

He snatched it off the ground, and it burst into flames.

"Holy smokes!" exclaimed Leo, and then sheepishly looked around. "Wow, that sounded cheesy, didn't it?"

Piper smiled and motioned for him to get back to Katoptris.

"Oh, right! The dagger. So, when did it start to, um, turn into a blazing inferno?"

Katoptris was still on fire, but Leo, being fireproof, didn't seem bothered by it. He just looked at it, turned it upside down, examined the bottom of the hilt, and flipped it over to look at the blade again.

"Well," Piper replied. "It was right after I saw…saw Jason kissing Savannah. Right before...she m-murdered him."

Leo looked up. He could tell that Piper was trying to keep it together. "It's okay to cry, Pipes. I know how you feel. Your boyfriend, my best friend, just got murdered. But that was all two days ago, and there's nothing we can do about it. So, let's just figure out what's wrong with Katoptris, and then we'll move on from there."

Leo placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, forgetting, for the moment, that it had caught fire from Katoptris. Piper's shirt burst into flames.

"Leo!"

"Whoops! My bad, Pipes," Leo apologized as he quickly patted out the flames. "I didn't know my hand was on fire."

Piper laughed, and then glanced at the dagger, which had returned to normal.

"That's weird," she said. "Katoptris isn't burning anymore. Maybe you turned it off or something…" She shrugged.

Looking down at the knife, Piper gasped. She'd seen movement across the surface of the blade. She picked it up, and gazed into Katoptris. She saw the back of a man's head, a long blue cloak billowing behind him and a hood obscuring his face. He held a staff or spear of some sort, swinging it around and over his head, reminding Piper of a wizard or something. Gandalf! His movements reminded her of Gandalf, the wizard from The Lord of the Rings movies.

She couldn't tell much from his surroundings where he was. It was dark and rather mucky, but that was all she could see.

She heard a whisper filling the air around her. It sounded like ancient Greek, but it was too faint to make out what was being said. That was weird. She normally couldn't hear what was being said when she looked into Katoptris; it was just like a window, to see things through it. She looked up. Suddenly, it was like she was there with the man and his staff. It was almost like a demigod dream, but in the middle of the day, and she was still holding her dagger. She seemed invisible to the man. At least, he didn't seem to notice her.

As she watched, the ground seemed to move, being sucked towards the man's staff, swirling towards him. Bodies were formed, limbs and torsos coming together and creating repulsive creatures. Monsters—a whole lot of monsters.

The cloaked man spoke, lifting his staff into the air. "Creatures of Tartarus! Rise from your prison and join me! The gods sent you to that abyss, to eternal agony, while they sit in comfort in the heavens. They are your enemies!"

The monsters grunted and shouted in agreement. The man continued. "I despise the truth of who I am, being related to them. They are selfish, rotten scum unworthy of Olympus' thrones. We will bring them down, have the gods begging for mercy at our feet! First, we have to destroy their greatest ally—their children. We killed their perfect little mascot, that son of Zeu—Jupiter. But that is nothing! We will—" He turned sharply, and his eyes met Piper's for a moment. And then the blade burst into flames.

Piper stumbled backwards, tripped, and fell onto soft green grass. She looked up into Leo's worried face.

"Are you okay, Pipes?" Leo asked, helping her up. "You were staring into Katoptris, and then you just stumbled backwards as if someone had pushed you, and fell down. Did you see something in the knife?"

"I'm…I'm fine, Leo. Thanks."

Leo raised his eyebrows. She didn't look fine to him.

"Really, Leo," she assured him, "I really _am_ fine. I just need some time to think things over."

She sheathed Katoptris, of which the flames had dissipated and wasn't even warm, and started back towards the cabins, but changed her mind and headed towards the woods. She couldn't tell anybody about her vision, or whatever that had been, not yet. She quietly slipped into the woods with Leo watching her anxiously.

She sat down by the stream that ran through the woods, and thought about her vision. The man with the staff was obviously the head honcho of the gig, this plan to murder the Seven. At first, it had seemed that that was the only thing he was up to, whoever he was, but now it seemed that he was planning something much bigger. She would talk to Annabeth and the others about this soon, but they all had enough on their minds, especially Annabeth, who had been going ballistic trying to find Percy. She would just have to wait.

Lunch began and Piper headed towards the Aphrodite table. She ruffled her hair. She did not want to look like a model Aphrodite child, not ever, and especially never around Drew Tanaka, her half-sister who hated Piper's very existence. Lucy and Mitchell, some of her other siblings, smiled at her, then glanced at Drew timidly.

Louis seemed to claim center stage, accentuating every word with fluid hand motions.

"Now, my girlfriend, Aimee, and I are taking it slow, but our relationship is just gliding smoothly on the path of love."

Piper plopped down next to Kristen and Lizzie. The two girls seemed to click nicely, especially when Lizzie told her that she had kicked Louis in the shin. Now they both rolled their eyes at his tale. Piper glanced around for Lizzie's sister, and spotted her at the Hermes table, flirting with Conner and Travis Stoll.

"As of now," Louis continued, "We are at the side hug, arm-around-shoulder stage. In a couple days, I'm going to try to ease my way into the handholding stage. Soon, we'll be at pet name stage, I can't decide between babe, or Pooky Kins. I don't want to rush things. And perhaps, in a couple weeks we'll have our first kiss, if she doesn't kiss me sooner."

At this, most of the Aphrodite children sighed, except Kristen, who feigned vomiting, and Lizzie, who laughed hysterically. Drew just glared, hating Louis for adoring Piper.

"And here comes my princess now!" Louis ran to greet Aimee, who was bubbling with excitement as she ran into his open arms.

"Louis!" she exclaimed smiling widely. "You won't believe it, the most wonderful thing happened to me!"

"What?" Louis said, imitating her excitement with his curiosity. He stared at her outfit quizzically—a short red sweater-dress and black leggings and heels. "Why are you dressed so fancy?"

"This amazing guy, David Smith, asked me out! At first I was like, I dunno, I'm a freshman and he's a junior, but he said he couldn't imagine being with anyone else but me! And he's so hot and my gosh, his _hair_, and he wants to go into medical school and become a doctor! I'm in love with this guy!"

Louis stared at her, mouth hanging open idiotically. "Wh-what about us?"

"Oh, Looey, you've been such a great friend these past few days! Thank you for getting me through the death of Jason and all this demigod drama. I can't discuss much with David, since he's a mortal."

"Fr-friend? Not, _boy_friend?" The desperation in Louis's voice even made Piper pity him.

"What? Yeah, friend! You're my best friend at camp! Thank you so much for everything! I've gotta finish getting ready!" She threw her arms around his neck, then let go and ran back towards the Apollo Cabin, shouting, "Tell Chiron I can't stay for dinner, that I'm going out with the hottest guy ever!"

"Hottest guy ever?" Louis mouthed, staring after her sadly. He turned dejectedly to the Aphrodite table.

"Better luck next time, _hon_," Drew snickered.

Louis looked so downcast that Piper went over and sat next to him. She was about to speak when alarms sounded. She jumped up and unsheathed Katoptris.

"Intruder!" Hazel said. She and Frank had been taking shifts guarding the entrance to camp.

Piper spun towards Half-Blood Hill. A woman sauntered in, not fazed by the charms protecting camp. Two other guards, it looked like Clarisse and Chris Rodriguez, grabbed her on either side. With a mocking smile, the woman flung them ten meters away with a single flick of her hand.

"I demand to speak with Chiron!" She shouted, her voice amplified throughout the camp.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**ANNABETH**

New Rome.

The plan had been so perfect. Thoroughly thought out, both of them working together to plan their future.

After the wedding they stayed at a hotel until they bought their house. There, they would stay for four years, working together at a local coffee shop to earn some mortal money—for emergencies. "CEFI," non-demigods assumed this was a misspelled, cute name for "Coffee." Of course, any demigod would know that it is "Coffee and Espressos For Immortals." In the back room, demigods watched the counter, engraved with each god and goddess' name, for a flame to appear and their order to materialize in smoke. In record time the demigods would make the Olympian-worthy drink and set it into the flame, zapping it up to that god's throne and replaced it with a golden drachma. A great way to make mortal and immortal money (plus great discounts on signature brews—but that was beside the point.) 

They worked there part time, and then they would go to camp on weekends or when needed, training themselves, helping train young newcomers (an Aphrodite child named Kristen showed some potential in her first year, beautiful _and _good in combat.)

And then, after four years, they would rent out their house and move to New Rome, get their college degrees, live in comfort and relative safety—an idea that, years ago, seemed foreign to her. They would visit camp in the summers, staying in their old house. And if they ever were in a position that they felt truly safe, they could start a family.

But that dream of a happy ending shattered. Percy was missing, and she didn't understand it. Her house was in ashes. Once again, both their lives were in peril.

"Ugh, where is he?" Annabeth moaned. She had kicked all her siblings out of the Athena cabin so she could have the computers to herself and room to think. She had gone through everything in her mind. Nothing made sense—how did him disappearing do anything? Percy always cared about the good of those he loved. Disappearing in their time of need didn't seem to be "for the good." Unless he was kidnapped, which was impossible! How can someone manage to get kidnapped while walking ten yards to another vehicle? And Percy could easily defend himself! It only made sense that he left of his own free will. But why?

There was a pounding on the door, and Lindsey Milan stumbled inside. Lizzie followed, bumping into her sister. Lindsey tried to shove her outside. "I was asked to deliver the message! You're stealing my thunder! That was supposed to be my heroic grand entrance!"

The strawberry blonde harrumphed. "Whatever you say, _your majesty_."

"That's better," Lindsey grinned. "Now shoo!"

Lizzie stuck out her tongue, then spun around and left.

"What message?" Annabeth inquired impatiently.

"Oh…yeah, that." Lindsey looked down on her hand, covered with notes and doodles. "Let's see…Travis's number…" her hand slapped over her mouth and a strange squeak came out. She went scarlet. "Uh…there is a girl named Elanna Wythe who says she has priceless information that will save camp and she is currently sharing it with Chiron and she is able use magic and injured two people. And Chiron wants you present, because her information is matching up to what we heard from the Gorgons."

"That's a mouthful," Annabeth said as she headed out the door. "Where are they?"

"In the Big House. They are keeping her where they keep Savannah Poole."

Annabeth rushed into the Rec Room. Leo, Hazel, Piper and Frank were already there. Her gaze fell upon the guest of honor. Her first impression of Elanna was _wow_. She was breathtaking. Her eyes were violet, bold and beautiful. She leaned casually against the ping-pong table, fixing her dark braid though it didn't need it.

And yet, it wasn't surprising she was the cause of all the mayhem. Her medieval crimson cloak gave her a haunting, mystic look. She wore black boots that came up to her knees and black gloves that came to her elbows. And she already proved she could use magic.

"Ah, here is Annabeth! I've heard so much about you! Mind if I call you Annie?" her eyes were cold and mocking.

Annabeth gaped at her. "Uh…yeah, please don't. And who have you heard much about me from?"

"Oh, forgive me for being so straightforward. Allow me to introduce myself. Elanna Wythe, daughter of Hecate, goddess of magic, crossroads, trivial knowledge, all that jazz." She flourished her words with a bow. "I know about all of the Seven—or Six now."

Piper inhaled sharply.

"But to business. I'm here because my brother is a complete moron. Perhaps you've heard of him. Donovan Pierce."

"Yeah, I've heard of him," Annabeth muttered. "He tried to kill us."

"Ah, well…that was his goal, yes. Now stop interrupting."

She continued. "I was nine when monsters started to notice me. And I started noticing them, as well as strange abilities I didn't know how to handle. Donny found me hiding in an alley, and took me in. He trained me to fight and control my abilities. He raised me in the fact that the main gods and goddesses were evil, uncaring and unworthy of the Olympian thrones. The minor gods and goddesses like mom deserved those places. So we had to usurp them from their places."

"He planned to go for the demigods first," Piper interjected. "Olympus' defenders. Kill them off, raise an army of stir-crazy monsters, and attack Olympus."

Elanna nodded. Annabeth shot her a _how did you know that? _glance. Her eyes seemed to say _I'll explain later._

"So why are you here?" Frank demanded.

"Because I want to help you. I don't want to be on the most wanted list for both immortals and mortals alike. I'm sick of Donovan's lust for murder. After research, I doubt his claims of the gods being evil. I really don't even like Hecate…our last several meetings ended disastrously. She may support Donovan, but I don't. I _won't_. He's deranged if he thinks we could stand against the gods. It's pitiful it took me this long to figure the stupid thing out."

Chiron's expression was unreadable. Annabeth paced. She caught a glimpse of Savannah in the corner. Her bleached blonde, chin length hair was dirty. Her gaze was glazed over and distant. She curled into a ball, lips chapped and frowning. Her eyes were red and puffy. How could she even stand it? Being used to kill a friend, a crush. She didn't seem to be taking to it well. One glance and Annabeth could tell she was not being held here against her will. She wanted to avoid the humiliation. Jason Grace's murderer—her reputation now. It must've killed her inside.

Annabeth didn't trust Elanna. She worked for Donovan, the employer of the eidolon who truly murdered Jason. The employer of the Gorgons. The employer of whoever set the Jacksons' house ablaze. But she was an asset, an insider to his mind.

She paced back to the ping-pong table. She came close to Elanna, staring into those violet orbs. "I don't trust you. Not yet. But I think we need you."

Her lips curled into a smile. "Excellent."

**PERCY **

Percy stood at the edge of a chasm. It was dark, and looked as if it had no bottom. Everything was deadly quiet. The eerie noiselessness made him shiver. _This place…_

He shrugged the thought from his mind and set to work. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a coiled rope. He examined it for a minute, gazing skeptically at the golden lining woven into the threads of the rope. A magical rope, made by Athena herself! It was guaranteed to stretch as long as you needed it! At least, that's what the packaging had said, according to his mother, who'd bought the rope for him.

He looked into the dark void, and then, after thinking for a moment, pulled a pack of matches out of his bag. He lit a match, then dropped it down into the pit, leaning over to watch it fall. It lit up the walls of the chasm as it fell.

_Well, _he thought ironically, _at least the walls are far apart. That way, I don't have to worry about bumping into them. _

He watched the match until it was only a tiny dot of orange. He knew that the pit was much deeper than his eyes told him. In fact, he doubted if anyone could ever measure it. Percy knew that the fall was based on a person's imagination. If it seemed endless to you, it practically would be. But Percy was ready this time.

He tied the rope to a large boulder near the chasm, and suddenly remembered that this was the exact place where he and Grover had stood, or more of had tried to stand, as the flying shoes that Luke Castellen had given Percy on his first quest all those years ago tried to drag them into the depths of Tartarus. He smiled grimly at the memory, and finished tying the knot of his rope. He tied the other end to his waist, and grabbed the coils in his hand. He peered over the edge one last time, made sure his parachute was secure, (really, his mom had been ingenious for thinking to bring it to him) and started crawling down the edge of pit.

Once his rope ran out, which was relatively soon after he dropped from the edge of the pit, Percy untied himself, and dropped to the nearest ledge. He was silently cursing the Hermes Supply Company that had made this piece of junk. He shrugged. It was a good thing he'd brought along a parachute. Percy drew out his box of matches again, and lit one. He set the flame to the rope—it caught fire easily, and he let his eyes follow the fire creeping up the dry threads, steadily eating up the rope. He had to make sure no one followed him, especially Annabeth. He had no doubt that she would figure out what he was doing. After all, she was a child of Athena, and he was just a Seaweed Brain. He wasn't going to take any chances.

Percy took one long look back up at the now charred rope, and realized that he might not be as prepared for this as he'd thought he was. Last time—he shuddered—last time he'd had his Wise Girl with him, and now…he didn't know if he'd even be able to find Nico. Despair suddenly overcame his soul. He could still go back. He didn't need to do this. He would probably die either way, but at least he'd die with Annabeth, his best friend, his wife.

He blocked those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't go back. He'd made a choice like this three years ago, when two Gorgons had been chasing him outside of Berkley, California. He could've run away forever, gone to live in peace, for the first time in his life. The sea had been calling him. Yes, it was certainly tempting, and Gaea had chosen just the right moment to try and tempt him. He'd "lost" his memory; he didn't know who he was, or where he was from. He was all alone. But he'd said no. He'd remembered something, something he couldn't put his finger on at the moment, and that something had kept him going. That something, or rather someone, had been Annabeth. He wouldn't leave her to die then, and he couldn't leave her to die now. He would sacrifice himself to keep her alive, even if it meant going to the place he dreaded more than anything else on earth.

He sighed, and swung his backpack around so that it covered his chest. That way it wouldn't get in the way of the parachute. He adjusted his straps, looked one last time at the opening of the pit from his view, and jumped. He felt the cold air rush past him, gaining speed with every second. He was trying to decide when he should deploy the chute, when something with sharp claws and a high-pitched shriek flew past his face. He tried to jerk his head sideways to get out of the way of the screaming bat creature, and in doing so, he brought his head into full contact with a rock ledge. His vision grew fuzzy around the edges, and he blacked out.

When he regained consciousness, Percy realized that he was free falling.

_Getting kinda old_, he thought drily to himself. He suddenly registered that he was in danger of going _ker-splat _on the floors of Tartarus if he didn't do something fast, and that was certainly not the way he wanted to start this quest. He quickly pulled the cord that deployed his parachute, and let it billow out behind him. Heavy darkness was all around him, and the sound of the wind rushing past his ears unsettled him. He shivered. Tartarus. He didn't want to have to go back, but he had no choice, he was already on his way down. At least this time he was more prepared for what he'd be facing. Only now, all that mattered was finding Nico and getting him to safety. From then on, why did it matter if Percy lived or died? Without Annabeth at his side, life didn't mean anything to him. He thought about how much he already missed her. He had a lot of time to think before he landed._ Annabeth, _he thought sadly. If he could only hold her in his arms one more time…

_THUD! _Percy hit the ground. _Wow,_ he thought._ I got here a lot quicker than I… _He glanced at his watch. _5:00 AM?! On Monday?_ He'd left the realm of Hades at 8:30 pm, on Thursday! Well, apparently it had taken him a little longer than he'd thought at first. Time in Tartarus was a lot different than it was in the world up above.

Percy suddenly realized that something was wrong. It was way too dark. When he'd been here with Annabeth three years ago, everything had had a kind of reddish tinge. Now it was all cloaked in darkness, and it felt more like he was in the palace of Nyx, the goddess of the Night, again. The cold air flowing throughout the cavern made Percy shiver. He pulled out his blue North Face jacket and put it on, but it didn't help much. It was as if the darkness and cold were seeping into his bones, and they started affecting his mind. Percy unstrapped his parachute from his shoulders, and flipped his backpack around, adjusting it to sit comfortably on his spine. He looked around, but he couldn't see anything within two feet of his face. He hated not being able to see: it made him feel so helpless, especially here, where anything could be creeping up behind him. He quickly brought out a flashlight, thought better of it, and pulled out the pen that he always kept in his pocket. He uncapped it, and a Celestial Bronze blade sprang from the tip of the ballpoint. Percy felt a glow of warmth spread through his body. Holding Riptide in his hand made him feel more confident. He'd been in Tartarus before, and survived. He could do it again.

Percy cautiously walked a few steps in front of him. Riptide provided light, but it was only a dull glow, and the darkness seemed to be trying to pull it all away. He would have to be very careful where he put his feet. He peered around in the darkness, but had no idea where to start first. He thought that maybe he should try to find either Phlegethon or Cocytus, the two rivers in Tartarus that he and Annabeth had first run into the last time they'd been here. But that could totally lead him in the wrong direction. Tartarus was huge, and Nico could be anywhere!

_Oh,_ he thought. _How stupid I am!_ He pulled a compass out of his backpack, and, holding Riptide close to it for light, tried to see which way was North. The needle spun around for a few seconds, and finally settled on a place to Percy's left. He headed in that direction.

The chill wind blowing through the dark made him shiver. He pulled his blue parka closer to his body. He hadn't gone more than ten yards when he heard a growl coming from the darkness behind him. He spun around and waved Riptide in front of him. Percy could see the monster's golden eyes glowing through the dark. The creature wasn't afraid of his sword; he's seen weapons like this before, and the humans carrying them had always ended up as the monster's dinner. The creature started towards Percy, his growl growing deeper with each step. Suddenly, the young demigod pulled out his flashlight, and shone it right in the face of the monster. The thing reared up on its hind, were those really legs? They looked more like tree trunks than anything else. Still, Percy didn't have the time to stand around wondering about what type of monster this was. He charged.

Caught off guard, the monster was at a disadvantage. Percy slashed at its legs, only to have his arm jarred up to the shoulder. He almost dropped Riptide, but managed to hold onto the sword. Percy tried to back off as quickly as he could, but the monster had regained its senses, and swung a massive clawed hand at him. Percy felt its claws dig into his back, and the excruciating pain raced up his spine. He cried out, and made an upward sweep with Riptide, hitting the monster square in the face. The beast dissolved into gold dust.

Percy could feel his own blood dripping down his back. _Smooth, _he thought. _You've been in Tartarus for how long, maybe ten minutes, and you've already injured yourself? Badly,_ he added, with a wince. He pulled out a baggy from his backpack, and picked out one square of ambrosia. He put it in his mouth, feeling it dissolve on his tongue. He instantly felt better, and he could practically feel the cuts on his back healing. But when he tried to straighten his back, pain instantly shot up his spine. Still, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Percy decided that it might not be the best idea to stick around, so he headed off in a southwesterly direction. He hadn't walked very long before he heard something that didn't belong in Tartarus: a girl's scream. The roar of a huge animal, most likely a monster, instantly followed. Percy sighed. More monsters. But he was in Tartarus, what had he expected?

He ran towards the sound, but came up against a wall of piled up boulders. He heard the scream again, and tried with all his might to move one of the heavy rocks, but with no avail. Something flashed in the corner of his eye, and he turned in that direction. It was a piece of glass on the ground, and it was reflecting the light coming from his sword. He bent down to pick it up, and discovered a hole in the very bottom of the wall! There would have been no way of seeing it unless he had been the same level as the hole was. It was just big enough for him to fit through. He squirmed through, and when he looked up, he saw a young girl, about sixteen, trying to scramble up an outcrop of rocks, with a gigantic monster charging after her. Percy almost didn't believe it. The monster was the Minotaur! How many times would he have to fight this thing? He remembered the first time he'd killed it, on Half-Blood Hill outside Camp, when he'd first arrived. Grover had told him that the beast wouldn't come back in Percy's lifetime, if he were lucky. Apparently, Percy wasn't very lucky. This would be the third time he fought the monster, and hopefully the third time killing him.

Percy just shook his head, gripped Riptide a little more tightly, and charged.

"Hey, you overgrown bag of filth!" he yelled. "Over here!" The monster turned his head, and eyed Percy with absolute hatred.

"You remember me, don't you?" Percy taunted. "Yep, I'm the one who's killed you, twice! Leave that girl alone. You should pick on people your own size! Come and get me!"

The Minotaur pawed the ground, and he really looked like he wanted to maul the demigod standing in front of him. Without warning, the beast lowered its head, and charged.

Percy sidestepped at the last moment, and the creature's momentum carried him into the rock wall. The demigod laughed, and watched the dazed monster pick himself up off the floor. The beast was angrier now than Percy had ever seen it, and his red eyes bulged at his enemy. He glared at Percy, but then turned to face the girl, who was standing very still, watching. The Minotaur once again charged.

**NICO**

Nico sprinted out of a cavern and almost fell off a cliff. He looked down, and there below, Lynn stood backed against the rocky wall. His heart raced. How long had he been searching for her? A couple hours? A month? Percy stood there next to her.

Seeing Percy should have sparked some sort of emotion within Nico. Happiness? Relief to see someone from the mortal world? But all he could think was _LYNN! GET OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE YOU BECOME SHISH-KEBAB! _

Should he jump? He had a very small chance of landing on the Minotaur and killing the creature, thus being a hero and saving the damsel in distress (referring to Lynn, not Percy.) Most likely he would miss and break his leg, but perhaps that would distract the bull-man-creature-thingy. Though his chances of success were limited, he decided to jump. The ground shook, and he fell to his knees before he could leap. His skin tingled. The feeling he had felt so many times before. The dead were near. Below, skeletons burst from the ground in front of Lynn. The Minotaur halted, just enough time for the skeletons to attack. Who was controlling them? Nico was pretty sure it wasn't him.

Percy slashed at the Minotaur from behind, and the beast disintegrated. Nico, coming back to his senses, found a sloping route down to where they were, and sprinted to them.

Needless to say, Nico expected a better response from Percy. A welcoming bro-hug. A "how's it been, man?" But instead, he gaped at Lynn. Finally, Nico was able to peel his eyes away from his long lost friend and turned to Lynn. His eyes widened, and nausea churned in his stomach. Pain seared through his chest, feeling as if someone had just stabbed him through his heart. Disbelief, grief, anger, woe, these emotions threatened to overcome him. He stood there, motionless.

Hades' symbol floated above her head.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**PIPER**

Piper sat under Thalia's Tree, on Half-Blood Hill, gently stroking Peleus' neck. She gazed over the valley beneath her, amazed at its beauty and peaceful atmosphere.

"Nice spot you have up here, eh boy?" she asked the dragon, who grunted lovingly in reply. Piper and Peleus had bonded ever since they had met three years ago, when Piper had first come to Camp. Most of the other campers were somewhat afraid of him, except the Hephaestus kids, so when Piper had come up to him and just started talking to him, he'd decided that he liked her, and so they had become best friends. At the moment, he had his head resting in her lap, and was taking a well-deserved nap.

Piper watched with amusement as Lindsey and Lizzie ran around the volleyball courts with Louis hot in pursuit. Lizzie tossed something to her twin, and Lindsey spun around, holding out her hand tauntingly to Piper's half-brother. Piper saw that it was a gold locket, and she smiled as she guessed that it was probably Aimee Tyler's. Lindsey raised her arm, and pretended to throw the locket as far as she could. Louis screamed. The twins both doubled over in laughter, and Lizzie was laughing so hard, she fell over backwards. Lindsey got up, and tossed Louis his "precious locket," before going over to help her twin up. They headed off towards the climbing wall, leaving Louis in the sand in the volleyball courts. He got up dejectedly, and started off toward his cabin.

"They're silly, aren't they Peleus?" Piper laughed quietly to herself. She playfully teased the dragon with her hand, fondling his big ears. Peleus lifted his head, and let loose a deep-throated growl. Piper looked up and saw Elanna Wythe walking up the side of the hill. Piper smiled, and waved politely. She didn't really know what to think of the child of Hecate. She was definitely very reserved, which Piper could understand. Elanna had taken a big risk coming to Camp, and the daughter of Aphrodite knew how hard it was to trust people.

"Nice view," said Elanna.

"Yeah," agreed Piper. "I like to come up here sometimes and look over the valley. It helps me to calm down and just think."

Elanna nodded, and an awkward silence followed. Elanna placed her hand on Thalia's Tree, and smiled. It wasn't the cold, heartless smile that Piper had seen before, but one full of happiness.

"I can't believe I finally got away from him."

"Who?"

"My brother, Donovan. He's a jerk, and never really cared about me. I only stayed in the beginning because he was all I had left. When I saw who he really was, I tried to leave, but he wouldn't let me. Now I'm free." She sighed, and looked over the valley again, but this time, Piper saw something different in her eyes: a look of contentment.

Piper followed Elanna's gaze, and saw Annabeth coming out of Rachel's cave. The daughter of Athena saw Piper, and waved to her, telling her to come. Piper stood up, much to Peleus' dismay, and smiled at Elanna.

"I've got to go, but I'll see you around." Piper started to head down the hill, but stopped and turned. "Hey, Elanna, if you ever need to talk, I'll always be available, okay?"

The other girl nodded, and her smile widened. "Thanks, Piper. I feel as if you're the only one here who's given me a chance. I think Annabeth thinks I have something to do with Percy's disappearance, and Chiron and the others don't trust me. Thanks…for just being my friend."

Piper smiled, turned around again, and went down the hill towards Annabeth. She looked very tired, like she'd been awake all night, which she probably had. Ever since Percy had gone missing, Annabeth had gone crazy searching for him. She'd tried everything, but Chiron wouldn't let her leave Camp, not with the prospect of an invasion upon their doorstep. Annabeth was furious. Piper hoped that Annabeth would be okay. She was one of her best friends, and Piper hated it when her friends got hurt.

She walked up to Annabeth, and smiled. Her friend tried to do the same, but it came out pained. Annabeth had been through so much lately. Piper took her into her arms, and held her for a minute. She could hear Annabeth trying to steady her breathing, but to no avail.

"It's okay, Annie," Piper said. "You've been through a lot. You don't have to be so brave. So," Piper gently pulled away, keeping her hands on Annabeth's shoulders, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Um," Annabeth said, wiping away a stray tear that had made its way down her cheek. "I wanted to talk about the prophecy. I've been thinking about it, and I need your help. Can you come to the Athena Cabin with me, and we can figure it out?"

Piper nodded, and they walked together towards Cabin Six. They stepped inside, and all Annabeth's siblings looked up.

"Could you give us a few minutes, guys?"

Courtney, who had become the head counselor for the Athena Cabin after Annabeth had left when she and Percy got married, nodded, and ushered the rest of her siblings out the door. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the older girls, before shutting the door behind her.

"So," started Piper. "Let's look through the prophecy again. So, um, it began with 'Son of the Sky'…" she hesitated.

_Piper, Piper, Piper, _she scolded herself_. Don't get all teary-eyed now. You have to be strong for Annabeth! _She cleared her throat. "As I was saying, the prophecy starts with 'Son of the Sky, Blood marks the beginning.' That's apparently about, um, you know, Jason's death. Then, the next two lines, 'An enemy triumphs, Strength ever growing.' The 'enemy' has to be Donovan Pierce, Elanna's half-brother; he wants to kill the Seven so that he can easily get at the gods. The one thing we have to worry about is _when_ he's going to attack Camp…"

"Wait," Annabeth looked up. "How did you know that Donovan was raiding an army before Elanna got here? Katoptris?"

"Kinda," Piper answered. "It started when Leo was helping me try to fix Katoptris, you know, when it was acting all weird, bursting into flames and all that. Well, it began as a regular vision in the blade, like it normally does, but then it turned into, um, I don't really know how to explain it. It was almost like it turned into a demigod dream. I could see and hear everything, almost like I was there. I saw Donovan, raising monsters by magic, and then he turned and looked straight at me, like he could see me! It was creepy, Annabeth, it was like he could see straight through me, to my soul. It was then that I snapped out of the vision. And that's how I knew about the army and everything."

"Oh," said Annabeth. "Well, it looks like we've pretty much figured out what the first stanza of the prophecy means, but what about the second one? 'Back to the Pit, a hero descends…' Hmm. Back to the pit…Oh gosh."

Piper could see the realization spread across her friend's face. "What's wrong? Annabeth, are you okay? You look super pale."

"Back to the pit…" Annabeth muttered again, speaking more to herself than to Piper. "The pit, Tartarus…back to Tartarus—no! Percy wouldn't have gone back there! He wouldn't do that to me. He knows the Doors are closed forever…He wouldn't just leave me! Would he?"

This was directed towards Piper, and she responded immediately, with no doubt in her mind. "Of course he wouldn't! Annabeth, Percy loves you more than anyone else in the whole world. He wouldn't have married you if he didn't. He left because he knew one of you had to go back, but…why? What are the next lines?"

"Um, they're 'Lost demigods to live, Legacy thus ends." Annabeth still looked flushed, and Piper could see that she was still struggling to keep her emotions in.

"Well, if you combine the whole second stanza," Piper said, who'd been writing the prophecy plus all her notes on a piece of paper. "Then it would make sense that Percy went back to Tartarus to rescue Nico, who's been trapped there this entire time. But what could the last line 'Legacy thus ends' mean?"

"Do you think Percy figured all of it out on his own? Annabeth wondered aloud.

"That would explain why he ran away, but he would need provisions: food water, stuff like that. Where…of course!" Annabeth's head snapped up, and she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket.

"Who are you calling?" asked Piper. Annabeth held the phone a little way from her mouth as she replied, "Sally Jackson-Blofis, Percy's mom. She's the only person he would trust with the information, and she could get him everything he needed. Hmm. I'm not getting an answer. Well, I'll just go over there…"

"Wait," Piper put her hand on her friend's arm as she started to get up. "Annabeth, think about what the last line might mean. You're a child of Athena. You have to fit all the pieces together before making your next move. Legacy thus ends! What legacy? Annabeth, there are so many legacies out there, it's just too risky to move on before we know everything."

Annabeth sat back down and met Piper's gaze.

"Look, I never thought I'd be saying this, but sometimes you don't have to stick to the facts. This is a prophecy we're talking about, one that's made out of magic, and magic doesn't have rules, it doesn't stop at facts. Donovan Pierce has already shown us that with your vision.

"No," Annabeth said as Piper opened her mouth to protest. "Let me finish. Yes there are hundreds of legacies in the world, but we don't have the time to figure out which the prophecy is talking about! And when has a prophecy ever been unraveled by just sitting around thinking about it? We have to do something. My husband is in Tartarus looking for a demigod who could be anywhere most likely hurt or lost. I can't just let him go. We made a promise to each other three years ago that we would never be apart again, and I'm going to keep my half of that deal. I'm going to go find him, and then we'll figure out the rest of the prophecy, okay?"

Piper was amazed at how her friend had transformed in those few minutes, going from a desperate wife to the loyal warrior she was born to be. "Alright, Annabeth, we'll do it your way."

**NICO**

"I am NOT a daughter of Hades!" Lynn shouted. "There is no way! I'm not a demigod! I am the daughter of Walter and Alice Stacey. I had a normal life…no monsters chasing me; I was just a simple girl who loved Josh Groban, living in a regular house with two mortal parents."

"Then why would Hades claim you?" Nico demanded. He clenched his fists, shaking with anger. All his resentment towards his father boiled up inside of him. He wanted to march up to that god and punch his stupid face.

Why was it so complicated? Why couldn't he have simply died three years ago? His first, honest-to-goodness crush after getting over a silly childish whim and it turns out the girl of his dreams is his sister? It was normal that demigods suffer and for gods and goddesses to mess up their kids' lives, and their love lives. He wanted to strangle Aphrodite. Strangle Hades. Strangle someone!

Percy watched silently. The way he stared at Nico with awe and reverence was disconcerting.

"Nico, I _swear, _my parents are normal humans. Mean, unstable, and horrible parents, but most definitely normal. My dad was no god."

"Um…" Percy began, "Could it be possible that her parents themselves were demigods—or even descendants of demigods, and Hades was in the line somewhere?"

He was so blind. "Even so, that doesn't fix this mess." Nico muttered.

Percy looked back and forth between the two, and realization dawned on him. "Oh!"

"Yeah," Nico said coldly. "Now, Percy, why did you even come here?" He began to realize that as much as he was glad to see Percy, he was suddenly resentful of him. Didn't he spend the last three years of suffering in Tartarus because he wanted to keep Percy and Annabeth out? And now it was all for nothing. Percy was back, and the doors were destroyed—so he was stuck with them until they rotted in this huge, living grave.

"I came because there was another prophecy that made it very clear that a demigod who had been to Tartarus before would return and save 'lost demigods.'"

"Which further confirms our suspicions about Lynn," Nico groaned. "But when did you start believing every word that a stupid prophecy says? When have they ever been totally, completely accurate?"

"Nico, this one's different. The first two lines had already come true by time Rachel told us."

"Which was…?"

_"Son of the Sky_

_"Blood marks the beginning."_

"Jason's death…" Nico whispered.

"You knew?"

"I ran into some Gorgons. They told me they tried to kill you—and obviously failed. And the mentioned his death."

Percy nodded grimly.

"So, what did it say about you returning?"

_"Back to the pit _

_A hero descends _

_Lost demigods to live…"_

Nico swallowed hard. "Lost demigods—Lynn and me."

"But I'm not—"

"Yes Lynn! You are a demigod! You are my sister!" Nico was in a rage. He took one step towards her, grabbing her arm. Her beautiful face framed by dark brown tresses, her sparkling blue eyes only inches away from Nico's cold, hard stare. He looked at her arm, at a recent cut she had gained, which was still bleeding.

"Nico…you're hurting me."

He released her arm. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then eat this. It will heal your arm." He handed her a square of ambrosia.

"Nico," Percy warned, "If she's not a demigod, if she's mortal—it could kill her."

Nico knew this. He knew that he could be making a mistake and he could harm her. But he had to know.

She plopped the whole square into her mouth at once, a single tear streaking her cheek.

"Well?" Percy asked.

"I feel…" She stopped abruptly, putting a hand to her forehead. A small gasp escaped from her lips. She fell to her knees, sweat beading on her forehead and the color draining from her face.

"Lynn!" Nico's heart raced. He was so stupid! Why would he do this to her?

She clutched her arm, letting out a groan. The cut had already faded. Tears streamed down her face, and she panted heavily.

"I'm…okay. I'm…I'm…"

"A demigod," Nico whispered.

She buried her face in her hands as she slumped against the wall. Nico's relief turned into hatred. Not towards Lynn. Just a seething hatred of his own life, of being a demigod, of suffering without an end and all chances of a good life—a happy ending—diminished.

"You're my sister."


End file.
